Mimi and Papa's

The Frisco Colletts made a trip south this weekend to meet up with the West Colletts and visit Mimi and Papa. Mimi's birthday is coming up this week, and it had been three months since Harper and Jack had gotten to see their grandparents, so we were long overdue for a visit.

Tony loaded up the kids and the car Friday afternoon, and picked me up after work to head to The Woodlands. We decide to delay the kids' nap in hopes that they'd sleep in the car- and it worked! Harper slept longer than Jack, but both kids did great on the drive down and were even okay when we got stuck in traffic 5 miles from our destination (a frustrating start to our trip).

We were very excited to get the cousins together and even though Ryan, Erica, and Emmy arrived after our kids were asleep Friday night, the cousins were quick to make friends and start playing first thing Saturday morning. The biggest hit with the grandkids was a red spring horse that Mimi had when she was a child. Tony commented that I'm sure his grandfather never thought, when the bought the horse, that his great-grandchildren would get such a kick out of it.

The kids also did a great job taking turns on the horse and riding with each other. Some of the sweetest moments were when Jack and Emmy were riding together and she was hugging him and he was laughing- cousins are so much fun! Speaking of Emmy- Jack took a shine to her immediately and he loves to say her name. Anytime Emmy was napping and Jack was awake he walking around the house saying "Emmy, Emmy, Emmy!" In fact, on the way home we could hear him saying "Emmy" in the back seat when he woke up from his nap.

Emmy and Harper got along well too; Harper struggled with saying "Emmy" and preferred to call her "Emma" instead- we'll get there. Harper got upset when Emmy would wander over where Harper was playing and Harper would say "no, no" when Emmy would try and play with her. I think that Harper is going to need to be reminded of her sharing rules. But, other than the time Harper told her "no", the girls got along great as well.

Saturday night we threw a birthday party for Mimi complete with hats, noise makers, and a birthday cake. The kids had a great time playing with the hats, and Harper and Jack were still insisting that we wear them on Sunday afternoon.

Jack also really enjoyed singing "Happy Birthday" and he would walk around saying "Hap- Bur" and requesting that we sing again (that is the first time anyone has requested that I sing something more than once).

I think that Mimi enjoyed her birthday party; it was fun to be able to be with her close to her birthday (which is coming up this week), and it was fun to see the kids with her. Jack has learned to say "Mimi" and requested her to read so many books to him. He also walked around bellowing "Mimi!" throughout the house.

The kids also got to spend some time with Tony's dad who took Harper and Jack down to the pond in his neighborhood to see the turtles and the fish. Both Jack and Harper liked the pond, but they enjoyed the walk to and from the pond even better. I think that's the furthest they've ever walked (a block or two), and they loved holding our hands and being able to walk instead of being carried.  I know that they're getting big, but this just confirmed it.

Our big kids were also troopers on the way home this afternoon. Harper slept from Conroe to Dallas and Jack also took a nice nap. Both Tony and I were a little nervous about traveling with them, but they were great. Jack sat in the back and talked to his toys and looked at himself in his mirror while Harper snoozed. We got back in time for the kids to play a little before dinner and bed time.

It was so nice to be able to get away for the weekend- shout out to Nana and Pop who let Abby come over so she didn't have to make the trek with us. It was even nicer to be able to see our family that we don't get to see near as much as we want to.

If you're a prayerful person, would you please put Harper and Jack's Mimi, Debbie, on your prayer list? She is a very brave lady who is going through some health complications and could use your prayers. I know that she'll probably kill me for writing this, but I love her too much not to reach out and ask you to please pray for her.

That's all for tonight- I know this week will be filled with more stress and drama and headaches and trying moments, but I also know that it will be filled with squeals and giggles and cuddles and moments that take my breath away. Lord, please let us focus this week on all that we have- all those precious blessings- instead of dwelling on the things we don't have. Amen.

Mid-Week Notes

This week has been very stressful at the Collett house. Not only are we juggling the regular household activities, but both Tony and I have been slammed at work, and we're trying to squeeze in time at the gym, and find time to sleep- it's been a rough schedule to say the least. I am ready for this grading period to be over so things will slow down a little.

We also had a little scary moment this week. Jack ate some hummus for lunch and he really liked it, so he ate quite a bit of hummus for lunch. When I went to give him a bath, this is what his poor back looked like and the rash/hives continued on his tummy and legs and on his neck. I quickly gave him some Benadryl, and he acted like things were okay. The bumps were gone by morning, but I think someone is going to have some allergy testing in their future.

On a happier note, the kids have been busy with Durinda this week. They have been playing outside, going for walks, doing some art- finger painting and coloring- and playing with Abby. The neighbors next door got a new roof this week, so Jack and Harper spent some time outside watching the roofers work. Durinda said that Jack was fascinated by the shadow the roofers cast onto our house as they moved around the neighbor's house; Jack was so interested that he even pulled up a chair to check it out.

The kids have also been getting along with Abby and saying her name quite often. I think Abby is realizing that the kids aren't allowed to bother her while she's eating, really have no interest in pulling her ears or tail (yet), and generally seem to leave her alone. It also helps that Abby is always given an exit strategy by the adult watching the kid-dog interaction, and the kids always seem to drop good food that Abby likes to munch on. So, Abby has been more tolerable of the kiddos and Durinda managed to get these great pictures of Harper and Jack loving on "Abb-A". :)

Our last adventure of the work week was a cooking demonstration tonight by Yours Truly. I was making sloppy Joe's and the kids insisted on watching, so we pulled up a couple of chairs and suddenly I had my own cooking show. Too bad they didn't get to see their daddy cook; he's the one with all the fancy moves and the yummy samples.

A few other things that I want to remember from this week:
- Jack was working on something yesterday and he was humming away while he worked, like a little man.
-Harper has started playing with the Little People and her little animals in the tub. She thinks it's fun when I have them pretend to talk or walk, and she will imitate what I do.
-Both kids were cracking up today watching me eat and apple. I would over exaggerate the bite (think Cookie Monster) and they would belly laugh- it was music to my ears.
-Jack and Harper both love to play chase with their daddy and will squeal and run when Tony says, "I'm gonna' get you!" They love to play this game right before bed time especially.

 I guess that's all for this week- stay tuned for pictures from our fun weekend adventures!

Fleeting Moments

Tony, the kids, and I had a busy weekend, but it was capped off by a very relaxing Sunday.

We spent today reading books, playing dinosaurs, going for a walk, watching Disney songs on the iPad, and snuggling on the couch. Jack laid his little head against me while we watched clips from movies, and I prayed time would stop for just a moment.

I even climbed into Harper's crib with her as she was waking up from her nap. I know that we look silly, but I also know that these days are fleeting, and I will blink and soon they will be too big to want to snuggle with their mom. I will take every moment I can get.

I am forever grateful for these two little faces that smile at me everyday. I read somewhere that every child wonders of their parents "do your eyes light up when you see me?" I try my very best to make sure the answer is always a resounding "yes, yes, they do". These days it doesn't much to make my eyes light up when it comes to Jack and Harper. Tony and I love them so much.

Here are just a few little things they've done this weekend that's had us in stitches:

-The kids had macaroni and cheese for lunch and Tony told Jack that he didn't need anymore; he'd had enough. Tony said "Jack, you've eaten so much mac and cheese that it's coming out of your ears!" Jack immediately grabbed his ears and his eyes got wide. Too funny.

-I went in to the kids' room after I had put them down for a nap and knew someone had a dirty diaper. I asked who it was and Harper raised her hand (ha ha), so I took her to the living room and changed her diaper. When I brought her back in and put her in her bed, Jack looked at me and said "I pooped!"  Turns out, he was right. Tony says it's a ploy they use to delay nap time- it works.

-Harper has started saying "no" when she doesn't want something, but instead of saying "no" like an adult, she says "nooo" with a little furrowed brow. She has also started wagging her finger and saying "noo noo" when anyone does something that they shouldn't. She is a sweet little thing.

We also had dinner with some college friends, Jen and Casey, this weekend. The kids' had their first hamburger and french fries meal and they seemed to really like it. While we ate dinner, the kids were so well behaved, but after dinner they were wound up and Jack squealed so loud that he had the whole restaurant giving us attention; he was such a happy little guy and Harper grinned and batted her eyelashes and giggled all through dinner as well. 

We couldn't have asked for better behaved kids this weekend and I am so proud to say that Jack and Harper did great at my mom's birthday lunch too. We had Olive Garden and the kids chowed down on some breadsticks and Harper even ate a good amount of the broccoli that came with their pasta. It was nice to have two meals out without having forks on the floor, or picky eating, or meltdowns. We were very thankful.

Our big "to-do" this weekend was a surprise party for my mom. My dad outdid himself and put on a great party; he'd been planning it since May. My mom said that she had her suspicions, but I think that she was still surprised. It was so nice to celebrate my mother and her 60th birthday. Thank you to everyone who came out- it was a great party for a great lady.

A Day in the Life...

These two little ones have been blowing and going all week, playing, taking walks, digging in the backyard, and helping me "cook".

I know that all of these blog posts seem to be lamenting how quickly time goes by and providing evidence of how big this kids are getting, but the days fly by and one day I look up and these two bright little faces are staring back at me and they're not babies anymore- not at all.

Now they're walking around in Mommy's shoes

Playing "mommy" to their dolls

And driving their cars around the house

The kids are also still very much into their books

And now they're interested in watching Sesame Street (Jack even lays on the floor to watch TV- like father like son).

These two little ones have also started talking up a storm- Harper is on a roll and it's so fun to hear her trying on new words every day. In fact, the highlight of this week, so far, has been Harper saying her own name for the very first time. We were looking at pictures of the kids and when Harper would see Jack, she would say "Ack", but when she saw herself, she had a hard time expressing who she saw. I asked Jack who was in the picture and he said "Harp-ur", then I asked Harper to say "Harper" and she replied "Hop-A"and was delighted with herself.

Since then, she's tried on some new words, notably "leash", "potato", and- her favorite- "Abby" which comes out "Abb-A".

I can't describe the joy I felt when I heard Harper say her name. I kept thinking this little girl who depended on a machine to breath for her, who was labeled "failure to thrive", who spent so much time pointing in lieu of speaking, was now saying her own name- it brought tears to my eyes.

We rounded out this week with some yummy spaghetti- so Harper thought- and a new one-word phrase that Jack is making the most of. I got him some spaghetti and he tried it and made a face. He ate his veggies, but wouldn't go back to the spaghetti- I tried again by offering him a fork full to which he replied "Nope!" I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing and tried one more time to which he, again, replied "Nope!" So, Jack got to have some garlic noodles (minus the tomato sauce which he, apparently, did not like). Here are the pictures of the aftermath:

One last picture from this week features Harper's favorite girl, "Abb-A" who found herself in the bathroom while the kids were taking a bath (something that has never happened before) and I got to snap this shot.

Abby seems to be pleading "please don't put me in the tub next!"

Our week has been busy, and we are very much looking forward to a relaxing weekend; we'll see what adventures are in store for us!

Picture Post

Please forgive the picture post; Tony and I both competed in a Crossfit competition this weekend at our gym, Black Iron Crossfit, and we are wiped out. We did three workouts on Saturday in about 3 hours and we are still recovering. Tony did great and "didn't die" (which was his goal); my teammate and I exceeded my expectations and came in first place- we won the whole thing! I was pretty proud of myself and my partner, Joe. In celebration of our competition, Tony and I slept for 9 hours last night and I am looking forward to getting a solid 7 hours tonight.

Enjoy the pictures from the weekend!

Playing Together

Jack saying "calf" and pointing to his new discovery

Headband Harper

Playing with Abby

Harper playing trucks

Giving Abby a back scratch

Abby and her boys

Daddy and his kids

Sweet Harper Girl

Breakfast at the table

Dinner with friends

The girls hanging out

Harper trying out her old swing

Watching Daddy cook 

Making a tower

Knocking down the tower

Cookie break

Sibling love 

The best part about going to Costco