Playing Around

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Family Traditions

The Houston family hit Astros Opening day again this year. Mark and I vowed to take the boys every year and so it has become our family tradition. We were a little worried about how we would convince Olly boy to sit still through nine innings...and we were right. He screamed and ate and wiggled through the whole game, but we made it and the tradition lives on. Here are some cute pics that we take every year!

Fritz and Daddy 2006

Fritz and Daddy 2007

Fritz, Olly and Daddy 2008

Fritz, Olly and Daddy 2009

We also had a great Easter weekend with all the Houston clan! The boys got to have an egg hunt with their cousins on Saturday night at our traditional Easter breakfast. Then they had another hunt on Sunday afternoon after church and a yummy Easter lunch. We also packed into the weekend a shopping trip and a birthday party to boot. We were pooped by Sunday night!

The only thing missing from my Easter weekend was my family...my mom, dad, sister and brother. The only person that I have seen in the past two years is my mom. I have not seen my sister, brother or dad in two years!!! So those that have family near by, please enjoy them!

Finally, an update on my last post...I did it! I ran all ten miles. It was painful, but I did it. That was definitely a milestone for me. For me, running ten miles was all about convincing myself I could and blocking out the negativity. So I finally beat my head as I like to think of it. I did not want to lose the momentum I had with my training, or give myself a reason to skip a day, so I signed up for my first triathlon! This has been a goal of mine for at least ten years. When I finish this I will be able to check it off my bucket list. June 7 is the big day and again it is going to be all about beating my head. It is going to be awesome!!!

May God Give Me Wings

So I am participating in a fundraiser on Sunday for my friend Kara's family. Kara's little girl, Ashtyn, has Acardi syndrome and requires help meeting all her needs. After having back surgery in December from years of lifting Ashtyn, Kara can no longer pick up her daughter to care for her. So this fundraiser is to raise money for a lift system for Tommy and Kara's house. This will allow Ashtyn to continue to live at home with her parents and sister where she can have the best life possible.

We are aiming to raise $10,000 which will cover half the cost of the lift. I was blessed to have various friends and family sponsor me for this 10 mile walk/run. It is a 10 mile event because Ashtyn is turning 10 this summer. I am so happy that I met my personal goal of $1000 and hope that it will help Kara and Tommy meet their goal to buy the lift.

So I will be praying on Sunday for God to give me wings to complete the ten mile run. I have trained for it, but it will be a challenge nonetheless.

Here are some cute pics of the boys from the past month.

Olly passed out on the way home from the Zoo

Fritz passed out on the way home from the Zoo

Fun February

I think it is so cool that at any given time throughout our day Fritz can be heard talking to or playing with Wyatt from the cartoon Super Why. If it is not Wyatt than it is Pig, Sheep or Princess Pea from Word World and Super Why. He is constantly playing with them in his head and it cracks me up. He is so creative and imaginative with his play!

Fritz and his trains

Gangster Fritz

Olly boy is quite a handful lately. He wants what he wants when he wants it and he wants it now!!! He is a tiny tornado around the house and wants to be into everything. He likes to climb up on the dishwasher and unload for us, tear all of my make up out of my bathroom drawer and throw it around the bathroom and empty the kitchen cabinets in a very loud fashion (flying pots, pans and spoons!) He is terribly cute, but exhausting.

Olly Edward Houston is One Years Old!

Olly turns one today! February 4, 2008 my little man came in this world screaming and he really hasn't stopped. That kid can scream! I can't say it has been an easy year. Olly certainly gave us a run for our money. He was out of his mind fussy from the first night of his life all the way until about the fourth month of his life, but he has certainly made up for it. He now is the cutest, sweetest love bug. He has an amazing laugh and vibrant spirit.

I really love this 12 month stage too! In the past few weeks he has become such a little man in a baby body. He babbles entire conversations and half formulates a handful of words. The obvious ones are Mama and Dada, but he also tries to say brother which I love! As he is babbling you can hear the influctions in his voice and it sounds like a real conversation. It cracks me up because I had forgotten that stage. My sister and I used to talk about how cool it would be when Fritz and Micah could actually hold conversations with us. It seemed so far off (like reaching driving or drinking age did). Now that we are there I forgot how cute the early babbles are!

For Olly's birthday we had a football themed party and followed it with the Superbowl. Everything went really well because I had amazing help from Mark, Mark's parents, my sister-in-law Jenni, Heather, Cat, Mindy and just about everyone at the party! Olly got great presents from all his generous guests and Fritz is enjoying each and every one of them!

Our friends, Mike Krause and Heather Skonberg, both took awesome pictures at the party for me. Here are some of those pictures!

He had me at "Hi Mommy!"

So last night when I got in from a wonderful night of adult conversation with the girls at BW3s, Fritz was still awake. I wasn't surprised when Mark told me he was in our bed. So I walk in and his handsome little face is poking out from under the covers just smiling at me. He said, "Hi Mommy! Did you have fun with your friends?" in the cutest little lispy 3-year-old voice. I said, "Thank you for asking Fritz. I did have fun." He said, "You had fun with your friends...did you play trains? Did you play trains with your friends?" I laughed and couldn't help but go kiss him. I love that in my 3-year-old's head playing trains is what having fun means. He was just sure that we had played trains.

So then as I was getting ready for bed I couldn't help but continue to laugh because I kept picturing all 16 of us girls sitting around a train table at BW3s. Perhaps it wouldn't have been as funny if I hadn't had four beers, but to me it was hilarious.

So then to top my evening off I come out of my bathroom ready for bed and Fritz is still peeping over the covers just smiling at me. He looked at me and said, "Oh Mommy...you are cuteiful!" I said, "what?" He said, "you are cuteiful!" Uhhhhh! My sweet angel. He thinks I am cuteiful. And yes I have called Websters and they are considering it as a word for 2010 :) There are really no other words for how that made me feel. So thank you Fritz William! Mommy loves you!

Cracks Me Up!

Here is a cute video of Olly and Fritz laughing. Apparently me throwing grapes up and catching them in my mouth is hilarious!

I got a glimpse into a little boy's brain today when Fritz found a lighter and asked "what's this Mom?" I grabbed it quickly and said that it makes fire and is very dangerous and he should never touch it. He replied very excitedly, "oh fire...let's make fire let's make fire!" Oh geez! I can remeber how cool lighters and matches seemed when I was a kid. I am going to need to spot check the house for all flammable materials!