Magarita Ball

This weekend Greg and I attended the Margarita Ball in Dallas, a huge charity even put on my the Dallas Margarita Society. It was kind of a professional networking thing for Greg. For me it was just fun. Since it was a black tie affair, Greg and I got to get really dressed up. So here is a very rare look at us all prettied up. I think we were the best lookin couple there. I love my dress. Anyhow, it was a great night. I think it is the latest we have stayed up (willingly) since college. Mom kept the boys for us because it was an all night event that necessitated a hotel stay. Of course they hardly even noticed our absense between all the cookie baking, lasagna and doting grandparents and great grandparents. Earlier that day we met up with a good friend of Greg's for lunch at Cafe Brazil. Here Wyatt is enjoying the rest of my Chai latte. Don't worry, it is just seasoned green tea with steamed milk. But I am pretty sure I was getting 'looks' from people who thought I was letting my baby drink down a giant capuccino. Sunday we had a Halloween/Birthday party at Dori's house. I will write more about that tomorrow because I am just tooooo tired right now. I did create a flickr account so everyone could view more of my photos. Most of the time I have more photos than I do things to write. I think the photos are the best part. Visit my flickr.

Sign Language

We didn't do much last week. Just hung out, played, made messes, cleaned the messes, etc.. Thursday was 'Molly Day'. She wore an especially cute shirt that Wyatt just loved. Here they are talking about it. As they get older they interact more and more like real little people. They definitely have a brother/sister kind of relationship. Sometimes they play wonderfully and other times they do nothing but antagonize each other. Those days can get pretty loud around here. Becky and I have taught them the same signs. It is so funny to watch them communicate. When one wants something the other has he/she signs 'please' furiously at the other, gets mad when they don't get what they want, takes the thing, and then the other screams and signs 'please' back just as urgently while trying to steal the thing back. At least they are trying to be polite. Tonight Wyatt was fussing during dinner because I had forgotten to get him a drink. So I got him some water. He threw the water across the table and did his please sign for milk. How do I get mad at him for throwing the water across the table while he was so politely asking for milk? Today I taught him how to kiss. I ask him for a kiss and he comes at me mouth open, tongue out and plants a zerbert like smooch on my face. Even though it is pretty slobery, I love it. It is my baby drool facial.

Lots of Posts

I had so much to post today that I split it up into seperate entries. So, to get the full update, in order, start with 'The Next Godsey Cyclist' and read your way up. We had an exciting weekend!

Look Sweet, Ride Sweet

So, on the drive home from our night of camping we stopped in at the bike shop to get a new tube for the tire Noah flated the day before. We left with a new bike.
We told Noah when he learned how to ride his bike he could ask Santa for a new, big boy bike. When we took the training wheels off on Friday, Greg and I knew we wouldn't be able to wait until Christmas. He was too big for his old bike and it was geared way too high so that he couldn't go as fast as he wanted to. But I totally was not expecting to buy a bike so soon. Greg is just so thrilled that Noah is riding that he just had to buy him this awesome little 16" Specialized BMX. This is the first time I've seen Greg make such a big purchase on impulse. I guess I now know his weakness is bike stuff for the boys. He would never even make that kind of hasty purchase on bike gear for himself. Anyhow, Noah LOVES his new bike even though it is a little harder to ride. He and Greg are already talking about the dirt jumps they are going to build at the back of our neighborhood. Don't worry, we are getting a full face helmet on order ASAP.

Camping Trip

Saturday morning we packed up the car, to the very top, and headed to Emma Long Park on Lake Austin for a one niter camping trip. It was the boys first camping trip, more importantly, it was our first camping trip with the boys. They had a blast but it was so hard! It was a trial trip and I think we may wait a couple years till we attempt it again unless we can con family or friends to come along for support. We really did have a good time though. We were right on the lake so we had a gorgeous spot with big trees. Noah rode his bike all over the park, focusing primarily on riding throught the biggest mud puddles he could find. The boys went swimming, we went on walks and of course we had a campfire (in a grill because there are no ground fires allowed). Noah roasted his first marshmallows and hot dogs and we made smores. At that point in the evening I was not in the mood to take cute pictures of marshmallow covered kids. Sorry. Wyatt was just crazy. He doesn't sit still and play with anything. He was uninterested in the fun dirt and sticks around us. Instead, he wanted to do everything we did. Unfortunately, setting up tents and building fires are not great activities for babies. He did like the lake and playing in the tent. Here he is 'napping'. We brought along his playpen and set it up in the little tent so he could have his own little room. He did good for about half the night, but when the cold front blew through and the temp dropped about 30 degrees, he woke up. I went in to find him on top of his blankets, socks pulled off, with a huge leaky diaper and freezing cold. After an hour of warming, changing and soothing he finally fell back asleep between me and Noah. This was my first time ever to sleep with my boys. They are everywhere when they sleep. I think they took up about two thirds of the tent. It was really cute to see them all curled up intertwined with the dogs who loved the big expanse of big blankets. We were cozy the rest of the night as the wind howled outside. The boys both woke up in wonderful moods even though Noah was a little cold and couldn't wear shoes becuase to the mud puddles he just had to stomp in the night before. We warmed them up with some hot chocolate. I even put some in Wyatt's bottle because I forgot a sippie cup. He loved it and learned how to say 'ha choc' about two seconds after his bottle ran empty so of course I had to give him more. After a yummy breakfast and got our stuff loaded and got outta there. The boys are now at home, bathed and resting. I should be too but I just had so much to blog!

The Next Godsey Cyclist

Yep! That is Noah on two wheels! Three and a half years old must be some kind of record. He finally left the training wheels behind on Friday. He is a pro. We planned on going camping Saturday and we told him we could fit the bike in the car only if we took off the training wheel (he was down to one). Greg was grinning ear to ear and jumping around. I think he is more excited than Noah.

Friday night we took the kids to a pumpkin 'patch' in Buda. They had fun running amongst the pumpkins, sitting on the pumpkins, picking up the pumpkins- pretty much everything except sitting still for a picture. These are the best I got. We found two good ones to carve this week. Last year we did it too early and by Halloween our pumpkins were a puddle of goo. While out and about in downtown Buda we stopped by a fair put on by the fire department. It was a nice evening to stroll around and take in some small town atmosphere.

Smile Big!

Has it really been 10 days? That must be the longest ever. Greg was out of town a few days and we had a busy weekend. Friday we had our neighbors over to grill some fish. After burning yet another hole in the shade cover, Greg finally just cut out a big section of it. Saturday morning we went on a great mountain bike ride with a nieghbor- his wonderful wife offered to keep the boys along with her two! We had a great time and she said the boys were angels. Wyatt spent most of his time playing in her daughter's room, climbing in and out of her dollhouse and playing at her dress up table. He is going to be very stylish- and probably beat you up if you say otherwise.
Last week while Greg was out of town (of course) Wyatt busted both lips- the picture to the right. I took the boys to an indoor play area and Wyatt was climbing all over a giant playground with a sign strongly discouraging any child under the age of 3 from playing on it. He had a great time. He busted is top lip tripping over his own feet, on flat ground, walking through the baby section of the play area. He bled everywhere but kept playing without much of a pause. Later that day he again tripped on his feet at home and jammed two bottom teeth into his lip. Oh, that day he also tripped over the threshold on the backdoor and somehow gouged his arm on something. That one I didn't notice until I picked him up and got blood all over me. After much protest I put a bandaid on him and all day he kept pointing to it and 'talking' about it.
Saturday night Greg and I went to the fancy grand opening of Wimberley Glassworks. Greg built the business' new studio and workshop. It was fun to dress up and rub elbows with a very different crowd than we are used to in Buda.
Yesterday Noah had his first trip to the dentist. We have a great kid dentist and Noah did awesome. His baby teeth are fine, even though he is missing half of one tooth, one is pushed back and there is a chip on another (all from a bike accident or two). But it looks like his teeth and jaw favor me and he will be spending much of his teenage years at the orthodontist. Better start saving now.
This last picture is typical Wyatt. Wild is the best word for him. It is almost impossible to keep him in clothes. He loves his shoes but he wants to wear them his way which rarely means they match. When we go places I bring the shoes in my bag and put them on when we get to our destination and he is too distracted to notice. He has on only one sandal in this pic. He was putting my socks in the laundry room for me. Wyatt loves to put things away and clean up. Every night he has to put his milk cup in the sink before going to bed. He also claps for himself and occasionally says 'good job', which comes out 'goo jok'.
Noah is almost riding his bike sin training wheels! He rides with only one right now. He can totally do it, he just needs some confidence. Like me, he is easily frustrated and defeated by physical tasks. Greg is an excellent teacher and takes it all in stride.

First Week of October

Our week was pretty uneventful. Here is Noah helping me make brownies for our 10th grade Sunday school class. He loves to help me cook- you can see why. Wyatt is talking more and more. Even though there are only a handful of words he uses consistently, he repeats words and noises we make all the time. His top molars are trying to push through and there have been several miserable days of teething off and on. Teeth never seemed to bother Noah. It seemed like they just all appeared one day. Wyatt's teeth really make him cranky. But he is so good about letting me look in his mouth. I tell him to say 'Ahhh' and he opens his mouth as wide as he can and does it while I poke around. The other day I was in the laundry room a few minutes and when I came out he was sitting in his high chair. I guess he figured out how to climbed in by himself. Today he climbed the ladder into our attic. Don't worry, I spotted him. Good thing we don't have stairs or balconies. The lawn mower and vacumm are Wyatt's best friends. While I vacumn he either rides on the cannister or hugs it and murmurs sweet nothings to it. He loves things that are louder than him.
Greg got a new bar-b-que pit. Our youth paster gave us his old one. Greg cleaned and repainted it, had a pole welded to it, stuck it in a hole in our yard and mounted deer antlers on it for handles. I think it is a bit of an eye sore but he LOVES it. Last night he grilled on it for the first time. He used a little too much lighter fluid because the coal was not igniting. He lit it, the fire flared, singing most of the hair on his face and left arm and burning his knuckles so that today they are big gooey blisters. Best of all, he melted the shade cover on the deck. This picture was about a nano second before things got a little too hot. Despite the problems, he got the steack grilled, it was yummy and he still loves the pit. He is going to have to modify the shade cover, though.

Compare

Here are Noah and Wyatt at the same age. I have to make these comparisons every once in a while. It amazes me how different they are coming from the same two people. At this age, Noah's hair was just about at its' curliest. Wyatt's hair is board straight and is not even heavy enough to lay down. They do have the same open mouth smile and blue eyes but that is where the similarites end I think. Can you tell I am getting good use outta my baby stuff? It would really be funny if they had the same outfit on. I should see if Dori has a picture of Dacy in that highchair with that bowl.

Lots of Pictures

I have taken a lot of pictures of the boys (mainly Wyatt) lately. There are so many cute ones it was hard to choose which to post. Noah loves having his picture taken lately. He will doing something and ask me 'would this be a cute picture?' When I say 'yes' I then have to go find my camera to take the picture. What is gives me are a lot of picture of Noah with a perfect smile doing nothing but posing for the camera. So much for candids of Noah. Wyatt loves hats, scarves and shoes. Here he is in Noah's army hat. I will have to periodically post pictures of him when he dresses up. He is going to be very GQ when he gets older. Which is funny because he has such a 'throw caution to the wind'- who cares who's looking kinda attitude. I think he will have a very unique style when he grows up. I think this is really cute 'brother picture' of Noah feeding Wyatt yogurt. They both LOVE yogurt and could eat it for every meal. The weather is so gorgeous now we spend most of our time on the deck or out front. I have to force Noah to go outside much of the time but Wyatt is usually banging on the door pleading to go out. They are very different little boys. Here is Wyatt working on a puzzle. He looks so cute sitting at his little table carefully taking out and putting in pieces. This picture doesn't show him five seconds later standing on the table screaming and pounding on the window blinds just to be loud. I don't usually grab my camera at those moments.

Psalm 139:15-16

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Ps 139:15-16

A little over a week ago Greg and I found out I was pregnant. It was a total surprise. We were a little freaked out by the thought of a third and all so close in ages, but excited too. Parents, siblings and close friends encouraged us and lifted us up. On thursday, almost 7 weeks along, I miscarried. The doctor said there was probably a chromosomal problem and the baby was not going to develop normally. Greg and I believe that this was not just a pregnancy or a fetus, but a life. It would be wrong of us, though easier, to just try to forget and move on. Every life deserves to be remembered and respected. Greg suggested I write about it since this blog has become a little family journal. I don't mean to be so somber, but this is just a way for us to remember that we are not in control of our lives. We are part of God's holy and perfect will.
I am doing fine. I have another doctor's appointment Monday just to make sure my hormones level out and my body recovers. It has been an emotional roller coaster the past couple weeks so Greg and I are going to do our best to just relax this weekend and spend time with the boys.

Well Baby

Today was Wyatt's one year well baby check-up and vaccinations. Four Shots! He did not like it but recovered quickly when he got to pick out a big rubber blowfish from the doctor's 'treasure chest'. He is 19 lbs 15oz (10th percentile), 30" long (50%) and has a little head. So he is taller than he is pudgy. I guess that is pretty obvious. The doctor said he is perfect- again, obvious.
I took this picture this morning. He only gets maybe one bottle a day, so when he has it he savors it and carries it everywhere he goes- even when he needs both hands for other things. He is a crazy cowboy on this rocking horse. He gets it going so hard and fast that it just barely keeps itself on the ground on either end.

Awwww, That is more like it!

Abercrombie & Godsey

If any of ya'll have been to the mall in the last decade, you may have seen the half naked live models at Abercrombie and Fitch. They are used to draw people into the store. Well, the A&F in Ceasar's Palace is no different. We saw that guy standing there and I told Greg if he took off his shirt and posed next to him I would take his picture. That is what I love about Greg- no, not his great bod (even though that is a definite plus)- he will do things I would never have the nerve to do even if someone paid me. Of course us, Lee (the model) and a large group of middle age women standing outside the store got a huge laugh out of it.
Note: No one involved in the taking of this picture was under the influence of alcohol. And I apologize to those (dad...) who would rather see pics of the boys than partially clothed Greg.

Loathing Las Vegas...

Greg and I are sitting in the Las Vegas airport at 11:40pm trying to get home. Our 11:00 flight is now 1:00am and that is just an estimate. Apparently they don't really know if there is an airplane or a crew coming. Gotta love air travel. Many of ya'll may read this before we even get home. I really hope Mama G can stay a little while tomorrow because Greg and I are going to be zombies. Poor Noah and Wyatt. They are going to be so excited to see us and we are going to be tired and cranky- trading places! Our trip was good. Greg and MST had a successful tradeshow. We stayed at an awesome hotel (The Mirage) and saw two shows. We saw Le Reve and Phantom of the Opera. The first was pretty cool but there were some things I could have done without. Phantom was really amazing. I bought the CD set in high school and love the music but had never seen the play live. It was wonderful of Greg to sit through it with me. I know he would have rather seen a something more exciting. I don't have my camera with me so the next time I update I will include a funny picture and story from Vegas. Pray that Greg and I get home soon. This airport is under construction, about 30 degrees and full of some really unhappy, freezing Austinites- me included.

Wyatt is One Today!

Happy Birthday Wyatt! Actually, he will offcially be one at 4:45 this afternoon. This past Sunday we had a party for him at Greg's parents. It was a lot of fun. Mama G made a TX cake for Wyatt and Noah made and decorated a special little cake just for him. That is the one you see in this picture. Wyatt wanted to touch the lit candle so badly. I had to wrestle his little hands away from it through the whole B-day song. He doesn't have much blowing power yet but he tried. Everyone there said he was the neatest one year old cake eater they had ever seen. He stuck two little fingers in the cake, digging out small little bits at a time. After cake and ice cream we took all the kiddos to the Point Venture 'beach'. Lake Travis is soooooo low that there are some great beaches now. On Saturday we went to Ben's birthday pool party. He had a huge cake that he was not really interested in. He probably had cake overload from all the birthday celebrations in the past couple weeks! Noah thinks that every weekend is a party now. He just about right. In two weeks is Daddy Joe's 90th bash and not long after that Greg and Mom have their birthdays and then the holidays begin!
Greg and I are going to Vegas this week (again). I kinda wish he would have a business trip somewhere else. I shouldn't complain- we always have a good time. After we get back I will take Wyatt in for is 1-year checkup. It is probably good I don't take him in this week because he has a bug right now. He had a minor fever yesterday and has a gross nose and a little coughing. It slowed him down a little yesterday, but today he is as busy as ever.
Here is Noah riding his tricycle with Wyatt. They both love it- Noah usually tires of it before Wyatt. Wyatt holds on and we haven't had any accidents...yet. Noah is very close to riding his bicycle on his own. He can do it, he just lacks a little confidence and loses his balance when he gets distracted.

Playin' Around

Here are pictures at the park from last week and this morning.

Birthday Bash

Yeah, I know it has been too long since the last post. There is no way I can remember everything we have done in the last couple of weeks. I'm sure most of you just want to see pictures anyway. Last weekend we had a birthday party for Wyatt and Dacy since their birthdays are only a month apart. It was a great weekend at the lakehouse. A little hot, but still fun. Wyatt loves every gift he got. He has gone from one to the next ever since we got back on Sunday. He will officially be one on the 5th. We are having another celebration closer to his actual B-day Labor Day weekend at Greg's parents. So many parties! At my baby shower last year, almost to the day, Christie and I had a picture of us taken with giant pregnant bellies. Now here we are with our big boys who are almost a year old!
Wyatt is using more hand signs now. His favorites are 'help' (which, in his mind, means 'pay attention to me!') and 'finished' which he tries so say but just gets out the 'ish'. I love that he is trying so hard to communicate. Now, when I tell him we need to change his diaper or I get out the wipes or his shoes, he plops down on the floor, falls onto his back and sticks his feet in the air. It is really funny. He is so much more cooperative while changing his diaper and clothes now that he feels like he is participating. Greg and I are so happy that we don't have to alligator wrestle him anymore.

Boys in a Box

Movie Star Wyatt. He loves to try on sunglasses but doesn't actually want to wear them when we are outside. Same with hats. Wyatt is communicating more and more. He has been using hand signals for milk, eat and more for a while, but now he is trying to talk. Reliably, he says 'yeti', 'out', 'shoes' and 'dad'. He listens and tries repeating words. He doesn't remember much yet but he is trying! Also, he has learned how to bring me things. He is very generous these days. I can even ask him to do things now like bring me his bottle, sit down, hug, go outside, stop playing in the potty, don't eat the dog food- all the basics. My favorite age with Noah was from about 15 mths to 3. That is when he could communicate, but he still minded and took naps. I am excited that Wyatt is about to be in that stage. Here are pictures of one of Noah and Greg's favorite games. Noah gets in the giant diaper box and Greg closes it up and carries him around the house, making Noah guess which room they are in. When the box becomes structurally unsound then Noah climbs in and Greg spins him on the floor like crazy and makes him walk across the room to me. It is hilarious. It takes Noah about a minute to recover and climb back in the box for more. Meanwhile Greg and I are getting naseous just watching him. Wyatt climbed in and decided it was not for him as soon as Greg closed one flap. He had fun putting his toys in the box with Noah. Both boys are growing like weeds. According to my growth chart Noah grew an inch in the last 2.5 months and Wyatt grew one and a half inches! I guess that is about it for now.

So Slow...

Blogger is taking a while to load today so I don't know how many pics I will be able to upload. For my regular visitors- sorry it has been so long since an update. Here are the boys playing in the hose last weekend. It was blazing hot outside and they had a blast with the hose. Wyatt would not let it go. He waved it around and tried to drink from it. After getting a faceful of water, he would sputter and cough a little and then go right back at it. Noah had a ball just playing in his overspray. The last picture is after turning the water off. Not happy at all.
Wyatt is climbing now and pushes anything he can get to move. This includes chairs, stools, trashcans, bikes, etc. If he is awake, he is walking. He never sits to play. He finds something he wants and walks around the house playing with it. I took the boys to the park today and discovered that Wyatt can sit and swing in a regular swing all by himself. He holds on and I push him. I've never seen a baby as young as Wyatt swinging like that. Noah climbs up the slides and pushes his hummer down them. I think Wyatt is trying to jump too. He stands in one spot and bounces like he is trying to get off his feet.
I guess that is it for now. Happy Birthday to Jay, Dori and Dacy!