Back In the Swing

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

It was a really nice morning on our walk to school.  Evan rode his scooter.  Noah just walked with us.  Lizzy came along as well.  Lizzy was excited when she got to see her golden retriever puppy friend.  She even seemed sad as we left the puppy.

I had a meeting at Aaron's later in the morning.

In the afternoon, Rachel drove us to school to pick the boys up.  She had to leave from there to go tutoring.  I walked home from there with the boys.  Well actually, Evan rode his scooter as fast as he could and Noah chased after him.  By the time I got in the house they were relaxing.

They did their homework and then played with Brody outside.  When Brody had to go to dinner, Evan asked that I take he and Noah back to school to play on the playground.  We drove over there and the playground was full with kids in the after-school program.  No more than 5 minutes after we got there, Noah came up to me and he didn't know where Evan was.  I didn't know either.  I was looking around and all of a sudden I saw Evan in a dead sprint racing some kid that I didn't know.  Evan won.  He walked over to me and I asked who that was.  He didn't know.  He said he was a 4th grader though.  I asked him how he ended up racing him.  He said he saw the kid beating another kid in the race so he challenged the kid.  Some time passed and then Noah again came over to me to tell me he didn't know where Evan was.  Again, I looked around for him.  It turns out he was play gaga ball.  A short while later, he came out and looked at me with a smirk and said "Another win".  They played for a while and then we went home.

Shortly after we got home, Rachel came home so we got dinner together.  The boys had pasta.

They are about to get ready for bed.

Until next time...

Date Night

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

It was very cold this morning but Evan wanted to ride his bike.  Noah, Rachel and I drove.  We brought Noah's scooter along with us so he could ride it home when it was warmer in the afternoon.

We went to Wholy Bagel for lunch.  It wasn't as crowded as last week for some reason.

Lizzy came with us to pick up the boys.  Evan rode his bike home with Jack and Noah rode his scooter home.

Evan had football practice later in the afternoon.

When practice was over, we drove the boys to a bouncy house place that was having an Parents Night Out.  The kids could play and they provided pizza, popcorn and juice.

Rachel and I went downtown and had Asian food at a place called Imperia.  It was pretty good.  We had a Groupon for it.  Then we walked to Le Cafe Crepe and had dessert crepes.

We had a bit of time to kill so we stopped at Barnes and Noble.

When we picked up the boys they said they had a great time.

Until next time...

French Legation Museum

Hello Everyone, this is Morry.

While it said this morning's temperature was just two degrees colder than when we walked yesterday, it sure felt much colder.  The wind was very severe.  But we walked.  Well, Rachel and I walked.  Evan rode his bike and Noah rode his scooter.

We drove to get the kids.  It actually got colder throughout the day.  Actually, Noah was staying for Mad Science so we were getting Evan.  Evan rode his bike home and we took Noah's scooter back.  Evan was able to take a shortcut back while we had to drive on the streets.  Amazingly, we arrived home at pretty much the same time.

Evan told us about his field trip today.  Last night he had told me he was going to the French Legation Museum.  I thought to myself, wow, they really picked a boring place for field trips.  I thought back to my own experiences with field trips where we constantly went to colonial stuff in Philadelphia.  Back then I found it really boring.  I figured Evan would have the same experience here.  But he couldn't stop talking about it.  He told us everything he learned.  He absolutely loved it.  It was great.

The boys had pasta for dinner and we had leftovers from last night.

Noah is reading with Rachel right now.

Until next time...

Bike or Walk

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

There is only one bus that delivers kids to the school where Evan and Noah go.  The rest of the students at the school must walk or be driven to school.  Apparently, though, more people are driven to school than any other school in the Austin School District.  I guess all the other parents are lazy (but I'm not judging) and drive instead of walk.  But seriously, the district decided to start a thing.  For every kid that walks or bikes into school and came down one of the trails, they got a raffle ticket and a sticker to wear at school.  They will do this every Wednesday in February.  The winner of the raffle gets a new bike.

So this morning, Evan rode his bike and Noah took his scooter.  We saw people walking or biking to school that I had never seen before in my life.

I had a client come over for a meeting this morning.

In the afternoon, Lizzy, Rachel and I picked up the boys.  One of the girls who loves Lizzy, Savannah, would let go of Lizzy when her mom said it was time to go.  She just held on to Lizzy and hugged her.  Lizzy loved it.

Rachel made chicken and fish covered with panko breadcrumbs and chorizo for dinner tonight.  I ate the chicken and she had the fish.  Neither boy would try it.  It was pretty good.

The boys are about to go up to bed.

Until next time...

Normal Wednesday

Today I drove Noah to school, got some stuff done at home, and then went to Pilates.

I stopped at home, got the bike, and rode to pick up Noah.  Noah was happy to ride the bike home.  It's a good workout for me. It's tough on some of the hills.

At home, I ate lunch, made a business phone call and then rode to get Evan.

For dinner we had crockpot chicken and rice.

After dinner we took a walk.  Noah insisted on riding in the stroller.  Evan rode his scooter.

We gave the boys a shower and now they are in bed.

Wildflower Park

This morning we went over to the Wildflower Park. We bought Evan's bike and Noah's scooter. There about a 1/4 mile loop around the park that is paved. Evan and Noah went around the loop a few times a played on the playground.

We ate leftovers for lunch at home.

Tonight we met Matt and his family at Buca di Beppo.

On the way home we stopped at HEB to pick up a few things.

The boys are in bed now.

Noah the Bunny

Noah was good this morning. He was looking forward to school since they were having a party today. We brought in cherries, filled plastic eggs, and a basket for him.

I went to Pilates and then came toward the end of Noah's party. Noah was excited to see me and happy that I got to see him do the Easter egg hunt.

After school we went to the library and then came home.

Noah did not come with me to get Evan today.

Evan was in a good mood.

Gabby came over at 4pm and took the boys outside to play on their bike and scooter.

I tutored and came home late.

While I was gone Morry and the boys had pasta for dinner and Morry got them ready for bed.

Here's a picture of Noah at school today.

Back to Reality

Morry and I had a nice little getaway, but today it was back to work.

Noah gave me a hard time this morning. I had to pick him up and hold him down to get him strapped in his car seat.

At 1pm, the parents were invited to Noah's class for a surprise party for his teacher. We had cupcakes and sang happy birthday.

After school Noah and I went to HEB. It took a very long time. I had to wait in the pharmacy line for a little while. Noah had to go to the bathroom. Then, checking out took forever. There was no bagger. I tried to start bagging on my own but then Noah wasn't staying by the cart.

We had to park in front of Evan's school because I was worried we wouldn't have time to go home or to the trail.

When we got home from picking up Evan, I quickly put away the refrigerated items and then went outside with Evan on his scooter for just 5 minutes. I then had to take a quick shower and get ready for tutoring.

I finished just in time for when Blanca got here.

I got home at 7:30. Morry had already fed the boys dinner and Evan was playing Mario Brothers on the Wii. Morry and I had hamburgers (veggie burger for me).

The boys are in bed now.

Family Bike Ride

This morning I packed a picnic lunch for all of us and we went for a bike ride. We had Noah sitting in the trailer and Evan peddling on his trail-a-bike thing. It was a little chilly this morning. I thought it was going to be really warm. I'm glad it wasn't too hot though.

We rode to the Velloway, around the 3 mile loop, and then to a nearby park. The boys played on the playground for a little while and then we had lunch. There were a few other kids at the park. Evan and Noah played with 2 other boys who were a little bit older than them.

For dinner we had leftover stew that was in the freezer along with some pasta.

After dinner we played outside in the front yard. Noah tried out his plasma car and Evan rode around on his scooter.

The boys are supposed to be cleaning their rooms right now, but I hear a lot of talking and playing right now.

Celebrating Noah's Birthday at School

This morning Evan gave me a hard time getting ready for school. Luckily it was pajama day in Noah's classroom, so it didn't take long to get him ready.

After I dropped the boys off at school I went to HEB to pick up cupcakes for Noah's class and then went to Target.

I came home for a little bit and then got to school about 12:15. Evan said he wanted to come to Noah's party so we picked Evan up from his class first. In Noah's room they were finishing lunch. Evan joined them at the table for lunch since his class hadn't started eating yet. After the kids finished their lunch we passed out cupcakes and sang happy birthday. Noah enjoyed being the center of attention.

After cupcakes the kids went outside to find hidden gold coins.

When we got home from school I tried putting Noah down for a nap. He didn't sleep.

Both boys were pretty cranky in the afternoon so I thought going outside would help. Evan enjoyed riding his scooter and bike, but Noah kept getting frustrated riding his tricycle. He still doesn't understand how to pedal and steer.

For dinner we made a Wanchai Ferry frozen Chinese dinner. The boys ate their food well. Evan had pasta and Noah had hot dog.

For dessert we gave them the choice of cupcake or grapes and they choose grapes. They just wanted the ring off the top of the cupcake and they were happy.

We are going to put the boys to bed now.

here are some pictures and videos from today.

Swimming and Crab

This morning we went to the gym. I did the Strike class and then took the boys swimming in the indoor pool. When we first got to the gym it was relatively empty. There weren't as many people in the class as usual. But, at the pool and when we were leaving it seemed like a lot of people were there.

After swimming we came home and ate lunch outside.

I tried putting Noah down for a nap, but he didn't sleep.

For dinner the boys and I had crab. I bought some crab legs at HEB yesterday and made them at home for the first time. They were already cooked, so I just needed to steam them for a few minutes. The boys ate a lot of crab and ate their other food as well. It was a successful dinner. Morry made steak for himself.

After dinner we took a walk. Noah walked some and Evan rode his scooter.

We just got home and now we are going to put the kids to bed.

Susie, Ryan, and Anika

This morning we were able to sleep in a little.

Around noon Susie, Ryan, and Anika came over. We were giving them some baby stuff (crib, changing table, ...) and they came to pick it up.

They took us out to lunch at Home Slice Pizza. We all had a nice time. We had to wait about 30 minutes for a table, but the kids were able to play outside while we waited. Evan made friends with some other boys and they played ping pong together.

Evan ate really well at lunch. He had a ton of pizza. Noah had one slice.

When we got back to the house the kids ran around in the yard while Ryan loaded up the truck.

Below, is a video of the kids playing around and then Evan riding his scooter and Noah on the tricycle.

I tutored a student at the house from 4-5pm.

For dinner we weren't that hungry. The kids had pasta. Morry had pasta and I just had some soup.

We put the boys to bed a while ago, but they are still not asleep.

Cooling Off

This morning Evan got up around 7:45am and Noah slept until almost 10am. By the time we got out of the house it was about noon.

We went to the gym. I ran/walked on the treadmill and then we all went outside to the pool. Evan and Noah had a great time. They both seemed very comfortable in the water. Evan kept “swimming”. He’d army crawl along the bottom with his head in the water. Noah didn’t seem to care the few times water went over his head.

When we came home we had lunch and then I put Noah down for a nap.

When Morry got home we all went in the front yard. Evan rode his bike and scooter and played baseball. Noah scooted along on the big wheel bike a little bit. I started getting bitten up so I went inside to start dinner.

We had pasta and carrots for dinner.

Now it’s time to clean up the toys and head upstairs. Let’s hope the boys sleep well tonight. I would think they would after all the swimming and playing today.

Star Peppers

This morning we went to playgroup. I enjoyed having some adult time. Evan and Noah had fun playing with new toys. Noah ate a ton of the goldfish crackers they had put out.

When we got home Evan and Noah played outside while I got lunch ready. They insisted on eating at the picnic table under their playscape. Noah didn’t eat very much, but Evan ate well. I also make smoothies for all of us.

At naptime Noah wasn’t sleeping for some reason. I was getting some stuff done downstairs and all of the sudden I heard Evan and Noah playing in the gameroom. I had to put Noah back to bed. He fought it a little, but eventually ended up napping.

When Morry got home we ordered dinner from Hula Hut through Eat Out In. While we were waiting for the food to be delivered we took the boys out front. Evan rode his bike twice around the block and rode his scooter a little too. Noah rode his tricycle just a little bit. He doesn’t like to put his feet on the pedals and it makes it very hard to push him.

Dinner was good. We made sports mac and cheese for the boys and I cut up a bell pepper for them. I thought I’d try using a cookie cutter on the bell pepper and worked. So the boys had star peppers.

We gave the boys baths and just put them to bed.

Peaches!

So, this morning went a lot better than the last time I took Evan to school. We didn’t have any major problems today. We took our time and were late to school, but at least Evan didn’t put up a fight.

After we dropped Evan off at school Noah and I went to the post office to mail some tax things.

We came home for a little bit and then went to the gym. We met Morry there to get all of our membership stuff. Morry had to go back to work, but I stayed and worked out. I ran on the treadmill and then sat in the steam room and hot tub for just a little bit. I was in the hot tub just a few minutes when someone from the childcare came through holding a sign with my name. I quickly got dressed and picked up Noah. They said he had been crying pretty much the whole time. He doesn’t do as well when Evan is not there. I’ll try again tomorrow, but this time Evan and Noah will be together in the childcare.

After the gym we went to pick up Evan. They were all outside on the playground during pickup. I had a little bit of a hard time getting Evan and Noah to leave the playground.

When we got home it was nap time. Noah went to sleep pretty easily. Evan ended up falling asleep in the game room.

When Morry got home we made dinner. We had hamburgers and potatoes.

After dinner we went outside and the boys rode their bikes and the scooter. Noah still doesn’t have the hang of pedaling. He just likes to scoot around using his feet on the ground. Evan is getting a little bit better at his big bike with training wheels. He still has a hard time when it’s uphill.

While we were outside we noticed there are peaches starting to grow on Evan’s tree! There are quite a few little peaches starting to grow. This is the first year we have had any peaches. I hope they are good.

Evan and Noah are in the rooms now, but both are still awake. They aren’t complaining or anything, just playing.

Here’s a video from the other day. I was giving the boys haircuts out on the upstairs porch and Evan got a hold of the camera. Here’s some video he took.

The Lake and Smoothies

**** Morry wanted me to add... This is the year anniversary of the blog!

This morning I took the boys and Lizzy to walk around the lake. It was pretty hot outside. We stopped at one point to feed the ducks and let Lizzy swim. Evan walked some of the trail. Both boys were well behaved. I brought a lot of snacks to keep them occupied, which helped.

On the way home we stopped at Jamba Juice for smoothies. I asked Evan what kind he wanted and he said orange. We picked out an orange smoothie for him and Noah to share. Both boys finished theirs by the time we got home –maybe a 10 minute drive.

By the time we got home it was about 2:00 and time for naps. Both boys took good naps.

Morry woke Evan up around 6pm so he would be able to sleep tonight.

For dinner we had coke ham and baked potatoes.

After dinner, Morry had a phone call to make so I took the boys outside. Evan rode his scooter and I pushed Noah on the tricycle.

The boys are ready for bed and in Noah’s room, but neither one is sleeping yet.

Evan’s Actual Birthday

Today is Evan’s actual birthday. We have been celebrating his birthday for the last few days now.

This morning Morry brought Evan’s bike (his present from us) in the house at the bottom of the stairs. We thought we’d surprise Evan when he came downstairs. He was somewhat cranky and tired this morning and therefore, was not very excited about his bike. He was more interested in his unwrapped birthday presents from yesterday’s party that were sitting on the dining room table.

For breakfast Aunt Susan, and Aaron and Shelly came over. Papa/Lenny made French toast with the leftover challah. It was yummy. Aaron and Shelly gave Evan Geo Trax for his birthday so he and Morry went upstairs to play Geo Trax.

Before Grandma/Lynn, Papa/Lenny, and Bubbe went home they gave Evan their present to him. Evan got a scooter so we all went out in the front yard for him to try it out. He understood how to push it with his leg, but he still needs to work on steering. He didn’t understand that you have to lean to get it to turn.

Once everyone left we put the boys down for naps. The both slept well.

Once they woke up we asked Evan what he wanted to do. He said he wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese. Of course, I had coupons. We got 20 free tokens for Evan’s birthday, 20 free tokens for Noah’s birthday, and I had a few tokens leftover from the last time we were there. The whole experience was free. We were there for about an hour and a half and didn’t have to spend a dime. Evan really enjoyed playing the games. The ones he liked most were air hockey and ski ball.

After dinner we went to McDonalds (Evan’s request). Evan and Noah were very well behaved and ate well. After Evan finished eating Morry took him to play on the playground. I stayed at the table with Noah while he cleaned out (ate) a lot of the contents of the diaper bag. The last few days Noah has started saying, “Uh-Oh” a lot. I think he was dropping food on purpose just so he could say it.

So, I have been working with Evan on our phone number. I’ll repeat it a lot and leave off the last number or two and he’ll finish the rest of the phone number. Tonight we were saying it over and over again and he actually said the whole thing by himself.

Well, the boys are in bed now. They are both pretty exhausted. I hope they sleep well tonight.