Snow Day....or more like Snow Week

Catching up on some postings as we finish up the year.  Right after Thanksgiving, Dallas was hit with a pretty awesome ice storm that effectively shut the city down for almost a week.  We lost power for a day, but the boys didn't seem to mind because it meant no school.  However, when they made the connection between no power and no TV, things took a different turn.

That being said, we made the most of the weather and spent about an hour walking Fritoe, looking at all of the branches that fell and slipping around the icy sidewalks.

Check out a few pictures of the boys enjoying the cold:

Classic Noel - taking it all in and trying to get his footing

Classic Ethan - Jumping right in and will figure it out as he goes 

Brotherly love

Ethan loved hearing the crunch of the ice when he ran

Ethan catching up to Noel to see what he was doing

Noel wanted to "ski" down the hill

All in all it was a great time - they loved the wintry weather and were said when it melted a couple of days later.

2013: Professional Photos - 4th Year Edition!

2013 saw us continuing to feel the pressure with respect to our annual family pics that we take every year heading into Holiday Card season . . . our friend and photographer, Chad, recommended the rail yard in Colleyville, which was a HUGE hit with the boys, who really brought the adorableness for this year's cycle . . .

 

Family pic - Pai deliberately revolting against the matchy-matchy thing

Hey - here are the bottom of our shoes, all casual like!

A barrel, some graffiti and one adorable Noelly 

Noelly has a secret . . .

Ethan bringing the charm . . .

The boys loved their own rail car . . . Ethan clearly more than Noel

Truest representation of their relationship at this time - one of our favorite pictures ever

This one speaks for itself . . .

Daddy getting a little Noelly nuzzle.

Ethan and Pai holding a pull-up contest (Ethan won!)

Super happy family . . .

Texas State Fair 2013

This post is quite a bit overdue, but I finally organized some pictures and wanted to get them posted.

Avo and Uncle David were visiting and it came to our attention that Avo had never been to the State Fair...ever.  We quickly realized that it needed to be rectified (and to be honest, I was just craving a corn dog) so we piled into the car and headed down for some good food and even better people watching:

Our first stop was at the rides - something the boys have never done and weren't quite sure about.  Noel finally decided on the four wheelers, apparently thinking they didn't move:

All is fine while things aren't in motion

Then it all goes to pot when it starts to move

 Then we moved on over to the games, where we spent $30 to win a $1 valued prize:

Noel won his first prize at the water gun game

Avo and Noel at the train gardens

Pai and Ethan happy after finishing their corny dogs!!

After food, games and fun, we stopped by the farm area for some farming fun:

They went from the miniature tractors to the real deal:

Overall, we had a great day and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

A few random pics from the Summer

Looking through the photos from the summer and a few good ones below:

Cutie Ethan eating some dinner

Noel's favorite glass

The boys trying out the binoculars Avo sent them...to add insult to injury Noel's shirt is on backwards and Ethan's is inside out! 

Now they're getting the hang of it

The Yin and Yang of Ethanoel

Just a quick post to brighten your day.  Noel's going through a little rough patch now.  We think his inner introvert is sprouting and he's not much in the mood for sharing....or playing nicely.....or being around other people.  That wasn't the part that's supposed to brighten your day.  If it did, that's a little weird...

His fits are relatively short-lived and the lack of courtesy and respect is followed immediately by a swell of smiles, hugs and kisses.

On the other side of that coin is Ethan who is in a constant good mood of late - a flood of sharing, hugging and general good vibes all around.

Experiment A seen below.  The control is the box, the variable is the child.  Same environment, extremely different outcomes:

Miscellaneous July, 2013 . . .

Some miscellaneous pictures from our assorted Summer, 2013 activities . . .

When you are unable to locate your favorite blanket, clearly a shark slipper is a clear second best option . . .

Inchworm, inchworm . . . clothing optional, of course

Driving may cause drowsiness . . .

Noelly showing his gymnastic skills at Little Gym . . .

The boys enjoying their favorite yogurt with their favorite new babysitter, Michelle - Noel's former Asst. Guide from his Toddler years at St. Alcuin.  Such big boys with adult faces in this picture.

Summer with Uncle Ronnie . . .

We have repeatedly stated in this blog just how thankful we are to have such a phenomenal support system for our Brigade.  Starting late in 2012, we transitioned away from a nanny to having some dedicated help from my folks (Mon/Tues) and "Uncle Ronnie Thursdays" when he's been good enough to pick the boys up from school and take them on a serious of adventures.  

Uncle Ronnie has always been #1 playmate for the boys and its been very fun to watch our boys crack his dusty, crusty heart wide open.  I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere there is an alternative blog where Uncle Ronnie is typing a similar post, but talking about just how lucky he is to get to spend this precious time with these two incredibly boys, who just adore him.

Lots of pics in this post from an assortment of activities between the "Three Amigos" . . .

The Three Amigos Part 1: What do you think about our mustaches? Ethan's pose in this pic kills me - so funny with him twirling his mustache. 

The Three Amigos Part 2:  This picture is ridiculously adorably funny of all three of them

Outing to the nearby Perot Museum:  Noelly cooking "lunch"

This picture is definitely sweet in many ways - first off, the boys discovered and asked to wear Grandpa Buck's hats . . . once they had them on, we were able to see  (thanks to Ronnie's camera skills) just how much they're growing and aging.  Their little faces look like little men here.

More fun in Grandpa Buck's hats . . . unable to decide on activities - swimming or grocery shopping??

One of many pictures captured of Uncle Ronnie taking full advantage of the "let's lunch somewhere Pai and Daddy would never take you" rule.

Cute Ethan with Ronnie/Noelly at an outing to the Katy Trail icehouse.

Noelly and Ronnie at the Ice House

Is that a ice cream shake we see, courtesy of Uncly Ronnie?  "Coldy, coldy, coldy!!"

Someone found Uncle Ronnies cap . . .

Bike ride to Crooked Tree and the Garden!

Uncle Ronnie's favorite babysitter assistant . . . his iPad, where the boys think all fun videos live . . .