Where's Wyatt?

I know this is not the cutest picture, but it is a little funny. Noah was being silly riding around the house on his horse with Greg's hat on yelling "Hiccup!" (he gets it confused with 'giddy-up'). But as soon as I got my camera out he kept pulling the hat over his face. What is funny about the picture is Wyatt. Can you find him? .......... That is our pantry in the background. Greg almost closed him up in there without realizing it. He is into something as soon as we shift our attention elsewhere. We went out for Mexican food after church today and Wyatt can steal a basket of chips or throw a plate with lightning speed. A split second after we rescued one thing, he was grabbing another. I used to call Dacy 'Elasti-girl' because of her uncanny ability, while strapped into a high chair, to grab something we were certain was out of her reach. I think Wyatt is 'Dash'. We almost named him that- it was Greg's #1 pick and I liked it but I just couldn't do it. Now I am thinking it would have been the perfect name for him. But if we had named him Dash I would have been forever blaming his personality on the name. With a tall-quiet-strong name like Wyatt I guess I was hoping..... Well, I may get two out of three.

Viva Las Vegas!!

Greg had a convention in Vegas this past week. Since he was the only one from his company going I decided to tag along. We made a mini vacation out of it. Because of the convention and the CMA awards, all the good hotels near the convention were totally full so we had to stay in the Sahar- a complete dive. But we just avoided the room as much as we could and we all know that there is something to do 24 hours a day in Vegas! While Greg was doing business in the mornings and early afternoon, I spent my time reading by the pool, sleeping or hunting for sealable bags to but my breastmilk in (apparently this is a nearly impossible item to find within a 5 mile radius of the strip). Since we don't gamble or go to nudey shows, on Greg's free time we toured through every fancy hotel, all the cool swimming pools, ate at some incredible resturaunts and went to the Cirque de Soleil at the MGM Grand and a 3D Imax at the Luxor. The above picture is in the Conservatory of the Bellagio (I really hadn't been drinking even though I look totally woozy). They had an awesome exhibit of a really ellaborate HO train track combined with replicas of detailed historic buildings in American History made of all natural materials (bark, leaves, nuts) and a really amazing water display unlike anything I had seen before. In the picture to the right you can just barely make out two arched streams of water. In person they look like arches of glass or silicone and you only know they are water because every few minutes they stop- like the end of a rope being thrown across the room. It is hard to describe, but, to quote my dad, 'trust me' is was really fascinating. I took some pictures of the train and buildings but they just don't do it justice. At the convention we got to hear Steve Wynn speak. It was interesting, but I definitely did not find him profound or inspiring. He has made billions off man's innate desire to over-indulge in everything good and evil. In saying all that, his latest and greatest resort on the strip, The Wynn, is gorgeous! We attended a reception in one of the ballrooms overlooking the lush golf course complete with a huge water fall and towering pine trees. Definately a desert oasis. It was such a great break from the overpowering lights and sounds of Vegas. We walked barefoot in the grass and enjoyed the open bar and fancy finger foods. Greg did business too- some of the most valuable was at that reception. After writing so much about it, I guess I will include a picture (even though I look a little silly in it). Our last afternoon there Greg had no engagements and we had to check out of our dump so we spent four hours lounging beside the lazy river at the MGM Grand's pool. Of course we both fell asleep (in the shade) after three days of practically no sleep and miles of walking. Vegas is not my favorite place, but we had a really good time and it was the perfect break from the kids. By the end we were ready to get back to our comfortable, cozy home and sweet boys. Our house actually seems quiet and peaceful after Vegas. The boys had a great time with Mama G. She said they behaved wonderfully. Towards the end Wyatt started to get a little cranky. He was very excited to see us home Thursday morning and he nursed longer than he ever has. It felt really good to see him so happy after so many weeks of what seemed like constant crying and whining. I really think he needed a break from me just as much as I needed one from him. In fact, since we have been back I have noticed a dramatic change in him. He has a new found independence and does not need me by his side every second of the day. I swear his hair grew an inch in the three days we were gone and he now has 6 teeth! Yesterday morning he waved bye to Greg and he is saying 'dad'- only when Greg is around so I think he really knows what he is saying. Wyatt absolutely loves Greg. Noah, especially at Wyatt's age, was a always a little unsure of Greg and had to warm up to him everytime Greg wanted to spend time with him. Wyatt reaches for Greg, crawls after him, climbs on him in bed and smiles everytime he makes eye contact. Its great. Well, I think this entry is long enough. I will add new pictures of the boys soon! Everybody have a great holiday weekend.

Just Another Busy Weekend....

We drove all over the place this weekend and visited a bunch of family and this is the only good picture I got. While wrangling two boys and two dogs I forget to take out my camera. On Saturday we began the day with a Mother's Day breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It has been years since I have had grits and biscuits n gravy. Mmmmm. Then we ran some errands and eventually ended up in Georgetown for a Bar-b-que honoring a recent A&M grad. We visited with Mama & Papa G and Geoff and Dene. Noah and Mckenna played and wrestled a little. Mckenna flattened Noah a couple times- all in fun. We picked up some chiggers while we were there. I am still battling them and have about itched myself bloody. While in the area we visited Grandma and Grandpa McDanel. Grandma is looking good since her shoulder surgery. The boys were all smiles and energy for their great-grandparents. It was good to see them. To end the day we headed for the lakehouse where we got in some wakeboarding and an evening boatride with Mimi and Papa. We stayed the night and got up early the next morning for some more water fun. We came back home early Sunday afternoon and just hung out. Mimi and Papa stayed with us Mon-Wed. Papa worked from our house and flew to CA on Tue. Mimi and I did our usual fun shopping trips, eating out and sitting in Austin traffic. If you have never seen it, the above picture is of a grumpy Noah. Don't worry, it only lasted about 2 seconds. The boys love having people around, especially their family.
Wyatt is trying to free stand now. He can do it for a few seconds. I bet he will be walking earlier than Noah did. The last picture is him 'helping' me vacumn. He follows me all over the house. He loves anything louder than him. Notice his leg is all pulled up in his outfit and he has drool runnning down the front of him. This is 'everyday Wyatt'.
Last night Becky and I went shopping for a couple of things for me to wear in Vegas. Greg and I are getting excited about our trip next week! It will be our first overnight trip away from both the boys- only the second or third time since Noah was born. Less if our time in the hospital having Wyatt doesn't count!

All Before 9 AM...

So Greg was on his way to work yesterday morning, on the motorcycle, and a bee got caught in his sunglasses- right between his eyes. He remained calm and pulled over. He took off his sunglasses and looked in his mirror to see the bee viciously and repeatedly sticking its stinger in his nose. He flicked off the bee but the stinger remained so he drove the rest of the way to work and had a colleague remove the stinger with tweezers. Fortunately he works with a bunch of ladies that just love to give him a hard time and thuroughly enjoyed the whole event. His nose was a little swollen yesterday morning but by the evening it was back to normal and just a little sore. But this morning when he woke up he could hardly open his eyes he was so swollen. He looked like Will Smith in the movie Hitch when his character had a bad reaction to seafood. This picture is actually flattering compared to what he looked like in person. He went to work like this this morning. I haven't heard from him yet today to see how he is doing.
This morning I nursed Wyatt when he woke up and then fed him some baby yogurt about an hour later. It was only his second time to have yogurt and he absolutely loves it. So about 15 minutes after I feed him he throws up all over the place. I was holding him so it got all over me, him and the kitchen. It was all I could do not to let loose myself. I don't know if his digestive system didn't like it or he over ate or maybe he just had a big bubble in his belly. Greg was allergic to dairy when he was little so I may lay off the yogurt for a while. Wyatt may look more like me but that is where the resemblance ends. He is 99% Greg under that cute smile.
A few days ago the dogs alerted us that there was an animal of some kind under the deck. Since then I have heard several 'somethings' sqealing under there. It is obvious that there are baby critters of some sort nesting in the most cozy, and hardest to get to, spot under our deck. I have been hesitant on taking any action. I don't want to kill the mother and then have a bunch of babies dying under there and I was not really sure exactly what it was. The sounds were too big for mice but I don't think a cat could get under there. This morning Riley was going especially nutty trying to get to them- scratching at the spot over their nest and barking. This morning was such a gorgeous morning outside I have several windows open. I was washing the dishes when I got a whiff of a nast stench. Skunk. Riley finally agravated the mom enough that she felt it time to reveal her identity. Fortunately I think the deck kept Riley from getting the full force of the spray. He came in the house utterly defeated and plopped down on the floor. He has aired out and the house is slowly getting back to normal. Hopefully the deck won't forever smell skunky. So let me know if you have any suggestions on how to get rid of a skunk family. Our current plan is to let the babies get a little bigger and then trap all of them. I definately don't want to take away the mama before the babies can make it on their own or we will have an even worse stink to deal with. At least Riley and Yeti have decided to back off. I think Yeti knew the whole time because he was keeping his distance. And they say Border Collies are sooooo smart. So that has been our day so far. All before 9 a.m.

This too shall pass...

Anybody want a few days with a boy or two? Either or both? The past few days have been really rough. Wyatt is a crazy, wild man and Noah... well, he is just three. But 'being three' is magnified about a million times with a difficult 8 month old around. Wyatt just can't let me out of a three foot radius from him. He loves his toys and his room but I must be next to him while he is playing or else he just screams. And his screaming is the volume of Greg with the pitch of an excited dolphin. He can maintain an incredible level of energy without requiring much sleep. He puts every sticker bur, piece of grass or wad of dog hair he finds on the floor in his mouth. Good thing he is so stinkin cute. All is forgiven when he gives me a big smile and comes crawling up to me moving his little arms and legs just as fast as he can, tongue out and letting out little huffs of air.
I do not recall doing anything real exciting this past weekend. Our neighborhood pool is now open so I have been taking the boys every chance I get. Noah is doing great in the water. I was afraid he would regress after 8 months of no swimming, but he is actually better now than he was at the end of last summer. Just getting older and developing better coordination has helped him a lot. He swims all over the place with his arm floaties,but we are still working on putting his head in the water. Wyatt seems to love the water. We haven't done too much because it is still a little chilly. But he has gone in about chest deep and seems happy as pie. He didn't seem to mind the cold at all. He swishes his little hand through the water and grins happily. For as wiggly and unsettled as he usually is, in the water he is peaceful and content. We may be spending lots of time in the pool this summer.

Midweek Hiatus

Becky and I went on a Wonderful little getaway this week. On Tuesday morning we packed up the kiddos and headed to the lakehouse for some good ol' fashion relaxin'. Well, as much relaxing as possible with two high maintenance babies and a three year old boy. We did manage to do some sun worshipping, play in the water, lounge, watch a chick flick and, most importantly, indulge in chocolate cookies and ice cream. Greg came out Tuesday evening just in time to do some wakeboarding and take a gorgeous evening boat ride. Much to our dismay we headed home Wed morning. The week must go on.
Wyatt has three teeth and the fourth is starting to poke through. His lovely new habit is to grind together his bottom and new top teeth. The sound makes me shudder. Finally he is on a regular schedule and slowly he is sleeping longer and longer at night. I'm hoping that within the next couple months that last nightime nursing will drop off. I'm not pushing it becuase with it he is sleeping until 7:30-8 in the morning. Which is late for this household. He is learning so much right now and developing new pieces of his personality every day, but I just can't think of it all when I sit down to write. His favorite game is peek-a-boo. Every night when I lay him down wrapped up in his bath towel he pulls it over his head and waits for me to say 'where's Wyatt?'. He then pulls the towels down and grins. He will repeat this game over and over. Sometimes he puts the towel up to my face for 'where's mama?' Riley even gets in on the game and paws at the towel, trying to pull it off Wyatt's Face. We have also discovered that Wyatt is a music lover. He loves being sung to and bops to music. He also enjoys beating his drum and shakin his shaker egg. He was totally captivated by Becky's singing- probably because he has never had anyone in this house sing to him in key! Maybe Mimi will get her wish and have a handsome, guitar playin, country music singer for a grandson.

Wrestling Night

Wyatt's first Wrestling match with dad and Noah. He loved it. I'm sure there are many more to come. After a slightly cranky weekend, Wyatt is feeling much better this week. He is over his fevers and a top tooth finally made its way through.
On Saturday we went to the Weiner Dog Races with Christie, Che and Ben. I had my hands full and never got my camera out, but I am sure Christie took some pics so check out her blog. They came over afterwards and we grilled out on the deck and let the babies play. Sunday evening we went to a shindig at Becky's house. Wyatt had two girls his age to 'play' with. He was a little grumpy but eventually warmed up to everyone. The weekend was full of fun for all of us.
Today we are just hangin around the house. We got a brief visit from Mama G which was fun, but not much else is happenin. I captured some adorable video of Noah and Wyatt playing this morning. Noah was making Wyatt crack-up laughing. They were being really goofy. I wish I could figure out how to post video on the blog!