Halloween Costume Test Run

Last Halloween was fun and the boys had a mild concept of what was going on. 

In the past year, however, their imaginations have taken off and they LOVE to imitate their favorite characters. 

We were looking through different catalogues and when we came across Toy Story Costumes, we knew we'd struck gold.  We asked the the boys were asked who they wanted to be - and without hestiation - both chose Buzz Lightyear. 

In all honesty that was the desired decision from the parental POV.  If one had chosen Woody and the other Buzz Lightyear, there would 100% be a meltdown on Halloween because one would want the other's costume.

The costumes arrived yesterday and were a hit.  See below for a few pics in their outfits as well as a video of the boys going "to Infinity and Beyond -ond -ond!!!!"

Ethan taking off; Noel taking notes

Noel taking off?

The wings light up, but only for 5 seconds at a time, so we're constantly having to turn the lights back on:

Dance Party USA!

They boys have all of a sudden taken to dancing.  It's like a light switch that just turned on.  And it all started with their favorite episode of Bubble Guppies called "Humunga-truck!"

Check out their moves below, especially Noel's signature move, "The Donkey Kick":







Solid Gold, here we come!

Misc. August pics

Just a few pics from last month:

The boys getting a cool drink on a hot day!

The boys are broken hearted that we're leaving for work!

Ethan giving his best "Cheese!" on a walk one day.

Noel having a little difficulty getting on the cement dog!

The boys before swim class one day.

Annual Trip to Colorado

We made our annual trek out to Colorado this year and it was a fantastic time for the whole family.

Along with the Milam Men came Avo, Ron and Gina, the amazing caregiver we met in Mexico a few years back.

The weather was great and the boys had an amazing time.  A few pics from the trip below:

Family Photo August 2012 - the boys weren't too interested

Joe Cool and Pai on the mountainside

Gina and Ethan having fun with dandelions

Ethan could not get enough pony rides from Cocoa)

Noel was unsure at first, but Checkers had a gentle trot that he warmed up tp

The boys and Avo making her world famous cinnamon rolls

Argh, maties, Pirate Noel spies some treasure!

Ethan conquering the dragon!

Noel marching towards the fountain, blissfully unaware of how cold they were.

Ethan loved running through the fountains.

The boys had an awesome time and one of the highlights was riding the gondola up to the top of the mountain.  Even two months later, they recall how the gondola is bumpy (when it goes through one of the support poles) and smooth (the cables in between).

Can't wait for the trip next year!

First Visit to the Dentist

The boys have had a love/hate relationship with brushing their teeth.

It started out with indifference. 

It peaked with utter joy when they bought into the story about frogs being in their mouths and that Pai/Dad had to check and make sure the frogs were all cleaned out after each brushing.

It cratered when they got sick right before the infamous Sea World trip.  They had mouthfuls of sores which meant we couldn't come within 10 feet of them while holding a toothbrush for almost two weeks.  I swear by the end of that sickness, there were stink waves coming out of Ethan's mouth - it was truly awful.

We've leveled out somewhere in between - they're okay with brushing as long as we're not involved. 

On the way to the dentist's office today, my anxiety was on the rise, worried that A) the boys would hate the dentist office and B) we'd be chastised by the dentist for poor dental hygiene.

Who would have thought it would go off without a hitch?!?!?

I would have lost this bet 10,000 times if someone told me we'd have captured the following pictures:

Ethan was our rock star...he smiled, laughed and even let them take an x-ray:

Checking out the polisher that was going to tickle his teeth

So proud of him - he fought some 8-year old kid for this truck...and won!

Ethan's first root canal!

 And Noel had a blast as well!

Noel checking out himself being checked out by the dentist

Let me show you how it's done

Let's revisit this post in 6 months.

Miscellaneous July Pictures

The boys Montessori program is out for the summer and is full of Library Story Time, Little Gym and later bedtimes.

A few pics from the past few weeks:


The boys go to the local library for a weekly story time.  Ethan made himself comfortable

The next set of pics was post-bathtime and pre-bedtime.  I think we were watching Bubble Guppies, their new favorite show:

Noel likes to watch TV au natural

Ethan flashing his million dollar smile

Entranced by Bubble Guppies

The Bubble Guppies asked where one's ears were located

Sea World...more like Tear World

We'd been planning a getaway down to Austin and San Antonio for some time to see the Land clan as well as Avo.

The boys had been sick the previous two weeks and weren't quite up to snuff before we loaded up the car.   We felt that the sight of Shamu or a penguin would surely cheer them up.  Like so many other parenting assumptions, this one was terribly off the mark.

From the get go, Ethan was bringing his emotional "A" Game.  His first fit was at the Sea Lion exhibit when we told him that he couldn't get in and swim with them (I KNOW, right?!?!? We're awful parents).  

Then we headed over to the dolphin show...all kids love dolphins, right?  Ethan thinks dolphins are stupid!

Zoe wasn't too sure about the them either:

Then we decided to bribe them with frozen lemonade and got a few cute shots:

Noel digging the frozen lemonade

Ethan cursing the Shamu Roller Coaster's  38" height requirement

Avo and Ethan

The mood peaked when Ethan laid spread eagle in the middle of Stingray Alley and threw a fit of fits.  When all was said and done, we clocked in 87 minutes at Sea World and made our way back to Austin vowing not to return for at least two years.

Here's to precious family memories!

In the words of Sammy Hagar: I Can't Drive 5.5!!!

Well, 6 months after getting their awesome Mini Coopers from Ronnie and Joanna, the boys are finally tall enough to reach the pedals.

After watching a quick tutorial on driving (while getting some fashion and hair tips at the same time), we took to the back alleys of Highland Park for some high-ish speed adventures.

Here's footage of Noel chasing down Ronnie:

And Noel quite fancies the way Ethan drives:

It took Ethan a while to understand he had to keep the pedal pressed down.  What resulted was a series of whiplash-esque movements that Noel found hysterical.

(Really) Early Spring - First Swim!

A little delayed post, but a good one nonetheless.

Avo was in town in early April and the weather was pretty amazing. In fact, it was so amazing, the boys bypassed our chalkboard activity and went straight into the pool.

I was the only one interested in drawing

I didn't put on a swimsuit thinking they'd put their little feet in the water and jump right out.  I also didn't expect them to turn on the hose and spray me tip to tail with cold, cold water.

Testing out the water temperature

Noel Distracting me while Ethan gets the hose

Noel testing out my lower back strength.