Downpour!

Tomorrow is the kick-off of hurricane season and we are already seeing a huge difference in the weather. It's rained pretty much everyday this week...and I'm not talking sprinkling, it's POURING. It's the craziest weather though...when it starts to rain it's like a downpour. If you walk outside you're instantly drenched! Being from Eastern Washington aka the desert, this is definitely nuts to see! Although, this weather is a welcome break from the 100 + degree weather we've had the last few months. Now it's a comfortable 70 degrees out, but still super humid! I had to take a quick video to show how crazy this rain is...the video doesn't quite do it justice though....but you'll get the idea!

Yummm

These are the easiest, cheapest, and tastiest cookies ever! I found this recipe surfing some recipe blogs. They were called "Homemade Oreos", but they taste more like frosted brownies. I originally wanted to make them for Emmet because Oreos are his fave cookie. Anyway...SO GOOD! Ryan and Emmet loved them. Here's the recipe:
2 Boxes of cake mix...any flavor (imagine the possibilities!) I used Double Chocolate....yum!
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup shortening
your choice of frosting (I used White Chocolate)

Bake @ 350 for 8-10 minutes
Let cool and frost backside with frosting, then sandwich cookies together.
I halved the recipe and it made one dozen sandwiched cookies. Enjoy!

The finished product.

Emmet got a taste and wanted "more!"

"All gone!" They went quick!!!

What a tease!

Emmet is so funny. He makes the silliest faces all the time so it was my goal to try and capture a few!

This is his excited face. He does this whenever we start to play a game, or if we ask him if he wants to go "bye bye", or if he wants juice or even a cookie! So... all of his favorite things! This face also double as a "Oh, no...mom caught me doing something naughty! Eek!" it's just a little more exaggerated! But after he's caught doing something bad he takes off in a dead sprint in my opposite direction...turkey!

I don't know what face this is...he just does this to be cute in front of the camera...it's working, bud!

Emmet is pretty random and I can tell he has a huge imagination. Out of nowhere he'll start bear crawling (like in this picture...and laughing hysterically because he knows it's goofy) or crawling, and lately he's been galloping like a horse... I have to get that on film...it's the funniest thing! Haha!

This is how I see Emmet....just a mischievous grin and a blur of furniture...this kid is always on the run! He's getting pretty slippery too, I can barely catch him!

Crazy Em and Wes watching in the background :)

Sleepyheads

Most days our routine is: Wake up at seven, feed the boys, cartoons for half hour/playtime, bathe the boys, snack time, and then naptime. Well when Emmet goes down I usually try to workout and then shower...so, I come down after my shower and these two are sacked out on the couch. So cute :) Weston has been so funny lately...he'll just fall asleep in his bouncer or on a lap. What a good boy! (Nighttime is still a nightmare though!) I managed to snap a few pictures before the sweet guys woke up.

Don't they look so comfy :)

Don't mess with Wes!

Every night Ryan and Weston wrestle and he gets him nice and wound up right before bed (lovely, right?)! Well, Wes is finally learning to fight back...Ryan had stopped tickling him and kissing on him and Weston retaliated!!! It was so hilarious...the video captures it all! Hahaha! Dad, better watch out!

So ticklish!

Weston is so ticklish and it's so fun to chew on his chubby little rolls. He just eats it up and we love to hear his adorable laugh :)

Meet the next Beckham!

So I know Ryan has always dreamed of having a whole litter of boys for his hoopfest team....well, I think we may have a soccer player instead! Emmet has liked to kick things since he started walking and now that he's getting older and more coordinated he's getting really good at kicking the ball up and down the hallway. It's so funny to watch him because he gets really into it and goes full bore!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Today's the big day for April, and she deserves it. Not very many people have two kids in the "SAME YEAR" and not have them be TWINS! What she has had to go through during that time is something I would not have wished upon my worst enemy. But of course... like the wife and mother I knew she was, she got through it and hardly ever complained about it. There has been hundreds of experiences April has gone through, that have just blown my mind. She had to travel here with me to the Cayman Islands on a 12 hour plane trip while she was almost 7 months pregnant with Weston. At one of our connections we were booking it to catch our next flight. She grabbed Emmet, took him into the bathroom to change his diaper, and realized that there was no changing table. So... she took him in one of the stalls and changed his diaper on her lap, dodging round house kicks from Emmet, while being 7 months pregnant. Then.... how can I forget flying back to Washington when she was 8 months pregnant to have Weston. What a nightmare that was. But... of course she was amazing and we got through it just fine. We had to spend the next month apart from each other while I finished my semester... but not once was I worried because I knew how strong/independent April is.

April tries to give me a lot of credit for being an awesome dad... but... I am no where near the level April is as being an awesome parent to our two sons. April does hundreds of things that she doesn't get enough credit for. All the days being sleep deprived, all the days tending to our sons being sick, and just doing the everyday tasks are some of the examples she has been able to overcome. She is always up to date with even my Med School schedule. She knows when my Block exams are and steps it up BIG TIME... to give me extra time for studying. I could not have done as well as I have if it were not for her.

She has provided a tremendous amount of structure and order to our sons lives and it shows. She is the type of mother that every child would dream of. She always puts our two sons before anything else, and makes sure that all of their needs are met, while having an absolute blast everyday. April's energetic personality, tremendous sense of humor, and unconditional love provide the perfect combination of representing a perfect mother. Just by watching Emmet and Weston with April, you can clearly see how much they love her and love playing with her. April wrestles with the boys just as much as I do, and they LOVE it. Weston is a complete mama's boy right now. I have to absolutely make a huge fool of myself to get Weston to laugh. All April has to do is just say his name to him and he laughs uncontrollably.

So on behalf of Emmet and Weston... thanks MOM, way to REPRESENT!

P.S. alright mother-inlaws.... I know the past two Mother's Day, we've told you guys we were having another kid. Well.... NOT THIS YEAR!!! LOL.......

All about Emmet

This is a tribute to my sweet little 16 month old, Emmet. With a new baby in the picture Emmet needs his time to shine. He is such a tender hearted little guy, sensitive (aka temperamental), and such a tease! It's hard to describe this complex little guy so I posted some (ok, a ton!) pictures that I thought really captured his spirit...and it is a fiesty one! Haha!

Where better to start then to say he is such a daddy's boy! As soon as he sees Ryan his entire face lights up and he just squeals with excitement and laughs uncontrollably! Em loves to be affectionate and give lots of hugs and kisses...today he even learned to blow kisses. What a little Romeo :)

Emmet is really observant and detail oriented. He's very aware of his surroundings. Lately he loves bringing us books and have us point out what all the pictures are...over and over again. He'll study the pictures for minutes at a time (which in toddler time is a LONG time).

One of Emmet's favorite toys. Grandma and Grandpa got this firetruck for him for Christmas and he plays with this thing to death. It takes baths with him and naps if I'd let him! He loves to rolls it on anything flat and make car noises.

Here's the little tease in action. He knows he's not supposed to be playing in the blinds but judging by his face he's trying to see how far he can push us...stinker!

Cheeseball...flashing one of his toothy grins :)

Ryan went toy shopping for Emmet one day and brought home this little chair and side table toy. Although, it's turned into a piece of furniture for him. He sits in it and watches his favorite shows and under the book on the side table is a little slot that he likes to eat snacks out of. It's also a really good prop to get on the couches and whatever else he feels like climbing on!

Cool trick brought to you by Ryan....thanks babe.

Our rough-houser! He loves to wrestle and be tickled and will come pounce on you as soon as you sit on the ground. Definitely one of the boys!

Sweet big brother. He just smothers Wes with kisses and loves. I'll have to whip this photo out when these two are fighting over the car when they're both 16 and remind them that they do love eachother...because for a month they will both be 16 at the same time!!!

Future plumber! Haha! Em has been digging in his diaper for the past couple weeks. Every night after dinner we'd let him run around for a few hours in his diaper but now that he's been doing this we had to put that to a stop. Sorry Em...:(

Every day is a new project for this guy. He doesn't play...he builds! He stacks and balances anything he can find and makes it as tall as he can! So funny! In this picture he just completed his masterpiece and was pretty excited to show us! Nice work, bud!

Love that dimple :)

If he's not building he's playing with his planes. This one was given to him by the Walters'. He loves to load the planes up with laundry, toys, silverware...anything interesting at the time and push them around the house.

Em loves to wear hats...this one is obviously too small for him now but he loves to bring them to us and have us put them on. Then he runs straight for the mirror to check himself out. He does his famous fake laugh, dances, and even gives himself kisses. Silly boy. He knows he's pretty hot stuff!

Another one of Emmet's favorite things...boxes. He especially loves these cool ones because they have a cutout in them. He wears them around the house, sits in them and uses the sides as armrests, and even eats his snacks on them.

Soft blankets and pillows are heaven to this boy. When he starts getting tired he sprawls out and finds something soft to snuggle with...I love it when it's me :) We always know when Em is tired though because he starts rolling around on the ground or just lays there and watches cartoons in a daze. I love when he's like this. Whenever he gets tired it reminds me that he's still such a baby :)

Dad taught him this too...haha!

Such a boy. The poem "What are little boys made of " fits Emmet to "T!" He loves chasing lizards and hunting bugs.

What a face! This little guy is sweet but he sure is a firecracker (I'm afraid he got that from me!). My little baby is getting so grown up and hilarious. I'm going to miss all these moments when he's older so I had to take the time and post all this stuff before I forget how precious all these things are! No amount of photos or captions can truly describe all the fun and joy Emmet brings into our lives. We are so lucky to have such a crazy, rambunctious, sweet, and innocent guy like this! We love you Emmet Ryan!

5 months and growing...

Weston just had his 5 month birthday! He's getting so big and sweeter day by day. He's changed so much this last month. He's now rolling over, tummy to back and back to tummy (he just learned both a few days ago) and loves to chew and suck on anything he gets his little fists on...fingers, toes, blankets (especially blankies!), toys, people...you name it! He loves to be snuggled and tossed in the air and is SUCH a mama's boy (I'm loving that part!). He's really getting to have separation anxiety...you leave the room and he has a meltdown. It's the world's saddest cry but I have to admit it's starting to wear on me a little...that is until I see those big pouty lips :( He's also almost sleeping through the entire night and only getting up once to eat...getting him to sleep initially is still a challenge though! Ugh! I will never understand why kids fight their sleep so bad! Wes is also learning to sleep in a little...sometimes 'til seven! Naps are still 30 minutes...I swear this kid has an internal egg timer. 30 minutes on the dot every time! I am grateful for some sleep at night though! So I really shouldn't complain too much. Wes is also learning to love his rice cereal and is really getting the hang of this whole chew and swallow thing. But my most favorite thing at this age are the slobbery kisses! He'll grab your face and just attack it! It's so sweet and absolutely hilarious! Wes is getting to be quite the character. Super loving and full of energy!

Growing up so fast!!!

So angelic

Wes is nicknamed "The Contortionist." This has got to be uncomfortable! He's always twisting and arching...we may see him in the circus one day! Haha!

Look at this face! He's starting to pull some pretty hilarious expressions! What a funny guy!

"Paradise" lunch

We love to go to this restaurant "Paradise." The atmosphere is so relaxing and it has a beautiful view of the ocean. It was so funny, it was a really breezy day and the wind kept blowing through Emmet's hair and he couldn't stop touching it. He was just grinning the whole time rubbing his crazy, spiky hair! We all had a great time hanging out, eating good food, and enjoying the ocean breeze. It was the perfect outing.

Our little family :)

Me and Wes enjoying our snuggle before the food arrives.

Emmet especially loves this restaurant because he loves to watch the boats and water...and of course be outside (his absolute favorite thing!).

Some of the pretty sites around the harbor.

Ryan and his partial "yeah buddy" sign...I wonder how many pictures I have of him doing this (Leslie, I'm sure you can relate!)?

The waitress had just cleared our table so Emmet was showing us that the food was "all gone!" Pretty observant, Em!

Hot sun + full belly + tired boy = NAP TIME! And lots of sweet snuggles and kisses for me!

Such a great outing together...just ask Weston! His face says it all!