It was a good trip and we enjoyed the beach, pool, and spending time together.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Trip to the Caribbean
We took the kids to the beach last week to enjoy some relaxation in the Caribbean at St Thomas US Virgin Islands.
It was a good trip and we enjoyed the beach, pool, and spending time together.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
It was a good trip and we enjoyed the beach, pool, and spending time together.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Happy Mother's Day
It was a busy week again at the Bruce household. Audrey was up some during the night this week. I developed a sinus cold that is slowing me down (probably from the kids). Andy traveled to Charlotte for a business conference. It is a lot of work to be a mom. Here's a salute to all the mother's for a Happy Mother's Day!
I went to Matthew's Mother's Day skit on Friday. It was so sweet. Andy made sure that I enjoyed Mother's Day. He started the day by making me breakfast. He also let me go out with the girls on Saturday night while he stayed home with the kids. We gave me an orchid and after evening church we went to dinner at La Duni. It was a great Mother's Day!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Cinco de Mayo
The work week seemed to go by fast. Matthew is working on a Mother's Day skit at school and every night he will tell me something new but then say "it's a secret". He sang the song to me once and now I tease him about it trying to get him to sing it to me again but he says it's a secret. He told me about a rose and tea and how he will give me a present - but it's all a secret. He told me that his teacher said that some mom's cries are bad and some are good. I think she was preparing the kids for mom's reactions. I will have to take a video camera. He talked about taking very small steps forward and when his teacher does a hand sign that means sit down and when she does another hand sign, that means stand up. I can't wait to see it.
I took the kids to school a couple of mornings when Andy had some early morning meetings. I decided to take them to Einstein bagels one day and then Chic-Fil-A another. Matthew thought it was so special to change up the regular routine. The allergies have been really bad here and I think Audrey and Matthew had a head cold on top of it this week so some mornings he has been difficult to motivate in the mornings.
Audrey is talking a little more. She says "Look, Up, Down, Plane, Mayu (for Matthew), hi, bye, more, please, milk, agua (water), eat, Wusty (Rusty), Outside" She also says other words but we just don't understand them right now. The cutest is Mayu. And Matthew likes to call her Paudrey - just to be silly.
The weather has been in the 90's lately so we started getting in the pool on the weekends and after work. It's really cold but we all squeal when we get in it and enjoy it for a little while. We enjoyed margaritas and tex-mex from whole foods around the pool Friday night in honor of Cinco de Mayo. We ate outside and the kids loved that concept.
On Saturday, I took a quick trip with Audrey to Houston to my best friend's baby shower. Audrey was a great traveller. We ate breakfast with the family at the pancake house in the morning and headed to the airport around noon. It was a 40 minute flight and the shower was 10 minutes from the airport so it was easy to get in and out. We caught the 6pm flight back and made it home in time for dinner. Matthew missed me and he was upset when I didn't bring him back a cupcake. I guess I usually do that when I go to a baby shower. But he was happy once I spent some one-on-one time with him.
We took a family bike ride on Sunday and relaxed around the house. Andy has been working on organizing his storage area in the garage. He also hung some bird feeders to attract some hummingbirds.
I took the kids to school a couple of mornings when Andy had some early morning meetings. I decided to take them to Einstein bagels one day and then Chic-Fil-A another. Matthew thought it was so special to change up the regular routine. The allergies have been really bad here and I think Audrey and Matthew had a head cold on top of it this week so some mornings he has been difficult to motivate in the mornings.
Audrey is talking a little more. She says "Look, Up, Down, Plane, Mayu (for Matthew), hi, bye, more, please, milk, agua (water), eat, Wusty (Rusty), Outside" She also says other words but we just don't understand them right now. The cutest is Mayu. And Matthew likes to call her Paudrey - just to be silly.
The weather has been in the 90's lately so we started getting in the pool on the weekends and after work. It's really cold but we all squeal when we get in it and enjoy it for a little while. We enjoyed margaritas and tex-mex from whole foods around the pool Friday night in honor of Cinco de Mayo. We ate outside and the kids loved that concept.
On Saturday, I took a quick trip with Audrey to Houston to my best friend's baby shower. Audrey was a great traveller. We ate breakfast with the family at the pancake house in the morning and headed to the airport around noon. It was a 40 minute flight and the shower was 10 minutes from the airport so it was easy to get in and out. We caught the 6pm flight back and made it home in time for dinner. Matthew missed me and he was upset when I didn't bring him back a cupcake. I guess I usually do that when I go to a baby shower. But he was happy once I spent some one-on-one time with him.
We took a family bike ride on Sunday and relaxed around the house. Andy has been working on organizing his storage area in the garage. He also hung some bird feeders to attract some hummingbirds.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Quick trip to San Antonio
On Friday, we took a trip to San Antonio. I took a half-day vacation on Friday and picked up the kids and caught a 45 minute flight to the hill country. I am getting more brave to travel with the kids by myself as long as they are short flights with good availability. Matthew was so excited to get picked up from school early to go on a trip. Andy arrived later as he had a meeting so he couldn't leave at the same time. We stayed at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. It is catered for families with a sand beach, lazy river, s'mores campfire, playground, and movie on the lawn at night. Nanna, Papa, and Michael met us there. It is only a couple of hours drive from their house.
Matthew enjoyed the lazy river and floating with Mama on an inner tube. Audrey liked to play in the sand. Audrey did not sleep very well so we ended up putting her in our king bed with us and Matthew. She woke up at 6:30am so I left the room so that Matthew and Andy could sleep in. She took an early nap still wearing her swimsuit and so did I. I just laid on a reclining chair with her on top of me. We ate at our favorite restaurant, Alamo Cafe, before heading back on a flight Saturday night where the flights had availability. It was a quick trip but it was nice to get away and see Nanna, Papa, and Michael.
Matthew enjoyed the lazy river and floating with Mama on an inner tube. Audrey liked to play in the sand. Audrey did not sleep very well so we ended up putting her in our king bed with us and Matthew. She woke up at 6:30am so I left the room so that Matthew and Andy could sleep in. She took an early nap still wearing her swimsuit and so did I. I just laid on a reclining chair with her on top of me. We ate at our favorite restaurant, Alamo Cafe, before heading back on a flight Saturday night where the flights had availability. It was a quick trip but it was nice to get away and see Nanna, Papa, and Michael.
Spring time in Dallas
On April 21st weekend, we enjoyed the mild weather. Since we traveled the weekend before, we were happy to stay home. On Friday night, Andy and I went to our first Opera - the Magic Flute. We didn't know what to expect but I have to say that we really enjoyed it. He received the tickets through work so we decided to get the sitter and have a night out. The seats were on the second row so we were close to the symphony. After 20 minutes into the show (in German) we realized there was a screen above with subtitles. We were just trying to figure out what they were saying for that 20 minutes. Thank goodness we saw that screen! It was Mozart's last written Opera and it had a happy ending. It was fun to see a live show for a change.
Another fun activity was a family bike ride in our neighborhood. Our bikes were ruined by getting exposed to some pool chemicals so Andy decided to buy us some new bikes. We have the baby seat for Audrey and Andy bought an attachment for Matthew that allows him to peddle and hold on just like he is riding a bike. But it is hooked to Andy's so he really doesn't have to do anything. Matthew loved it. Audrey was a little fussy so we cut her trip short. Hopefully, she will enjoy the next bike ride. I think her teeth were bothering her.
The only bad thing that occurs during the spring time is allergies. Andy has been taking shots so that helps him but I have been waking up with a sore throat and the kids have all sorts of sinus issues. We hang out outdoors mostly since the weather is so nice.
On Sunday, we went to a birthday party at the park for our neighbors. Dara has 3 kids and they have birthdays around the same time so she had one big party for all 3. What a great idea! Matthew enjoyed face painting and the bounce house. Audrey enjoyed playing with the kids shoes outside the bounce house. LOL They also liked the cupcakes, gold fish, and cheese balls. Afterwards, we flew Matthew's kite in the park and he had so much fun. We struggled to get it to fly in the air more than a couple of seconds but it was fun running with it and trying to get it to fly.
Another fun activity was a family bike ride in our neighborhood. Our bikes were ruined by getting exposed to some pool chemicals so Andy decided to buy us some new bikes. We have the baby seat for Audrey and Andy bought an attachment for Matthew that allows him to peddle and hold on just like he is riding a bike. But it is hooked to Andy's so he really doesn't have to do anything. Matthew loved it. Audrey was a little fussy so we cut her trip short. Hopefully, she will enjoy the next bike ride. I think her teeth were bothering her.
The only bad thing that occurs during the spring time is allergies. Andy has been taking shots so that helps him but I have been waking up with a sore throat and the kids have all sorts of sinus issues. We hang out outdoors mostly since the weather is so nice.
On Sunday, we went to a birthday party at the park for our neighbors. Dara has 3 kids and they have birthdays around the same time so she had one big party for all 3. What a great idea! Matthew enjoyed face painting and the bounce house. Audrey enjoyed playing with the kids shoes outside the bounce house. LOL They also liked the cupcakes, gold fish, and cheese balls. Afterwards, we flew Matthew's kite in the park and he had so much fun. We struggled to get it to fly in the air more than a couple of seconds but it was fun running with it and trying to get it to fly.
Scary dinosaur
Run, run, run!
Alittle boy and his kite - frustrated!
Uncle Joe's Retirement Party
On Saturday, April 14th, we took a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for Uncle Joe's retirement party. I flew with the kids while Andy stayed behind to do some household chores. He oversaw the installment of new carpet while we were gone. We are going through our spring cleaning phase and the carpet upstairs was so dirty and cheap (I call it cheap apartment carpet). We had it steam cleaned last year but it still had spots and I can't tell you how many times Matthew peed on it when he was a baby because I couldn't change his diaper quick enough. We also had some tile work done in our master bath that took us several weeks to figure out what we wanted with multiple trips to the tile store but we are happy with the results.
Andy dropped us off at the airport Saturday morning and the kids did very well at the airport and on the airplane. The flight itself was short at 45 minutes and the planes have so many seats available that all my coworkers call it the "non-rev special". We met my best friend from childhood, Suzanne, at chic-fil-A and the kids enjoyed playing together. We went to Walmart to buy a couple of things (milk) and both kids did not have their shoes on. I put both of them in the shopping cart and I was laughing to myself because Matthew walks around the house without shoes all the time and Andy calls him "Arkansas boy". Here we were in Arkansas going to Walmart with no shoes on. I probably should have taken a picture.
We surprised my uncle and cousins by showing up at the retirement party. Uncle Joe had a party at his club house with 2 other guys that were also retiring from AT&T. We went to the club house last year for Uncle Joe's wedding and Matthew had so much fun running around with the other kids. He remembered and he was excited to play with them again. We ate our favorite BBQ and enjoyed cake. We went back to hotel where the kids enjoyed running through the halls and jumping on the bed. We all slept well in a king bed.
In the morning, we met Uncle Joe and Aunt Janet for breakfast at IHOP. My rental car wouldn't start so Joe had to pick us up until he could jump start it later. We had to move car seats (which are such a pain) but we made it and he got our car working after breakfast. Apparently, I left some flood lights on over night. Oh jeeze!
We swam in the hotel pool and then headed off to the airport around noon. The weather was rainy with some storms in Dallas so our flight was delayed one hour. But the kids did well and we ate turkey sandwhiches and soup at the airport before flying home. They were tired and slept on the plane. Andy picked us up at the airport and we arrived at home early enough to enjoy the rest of our Sunday. It was a quick trip but it was nice to visit with family and friends. I grew up in Fayetteville until we moved away when I was 8 years old so the small town feels like home to me.
Andy dropped us off at the airport Saturday morning and the kids did very well at the airport and on the airplane. The flight itself was short at 45 minutes and the planes have so many seats available that all my coworkers call it the "non-rev special". We met my best friend from childhood, Suzanne, at chic-fil-A and the kids enjoyed playing together. We went to Walmart to buy a couple of things (milk) and both kids did not have their shoes on. I put both of them in the shopping cart and I was laughing to myself because Matthew walks around the house without shoes all the time and Andy calls him "Arkansas boy". Here we were in Arkansas going to Walmart with no shoes on. I probably should have taken a picture.
We surprised my uncle and cousins by showing up at the retirement party. Uncle Joe had a party at his club house with 2 other guys that were also retiring from AT&T. We went to the club house last year for Uncle Joe's wedding and Matthew had so much fun running around with the other kids. He remembered and he was excited to play with them again. We ate our favorite BBQ and enjoyed cake. We went back to hotel where the kids enjoyed running through the halls and jumping on the bed. We all slept well in a king bed.
In the morning, we met Uncle Joe and Aunt Janet for breakfast at IHOP. My rental car wouldn't start so Joe had to pick us up until he could jump start it later. We had to move car seats (which are such a pain) but we made it and he got our car working after breakfast. Apparently, I left some flood lights on over night. Oh jeeze!
We swam in the hotel pool and then headed off to the airport around noon. The weather was rainy with some storms in Dallas so our flight was delayed one hour. But the kids did well and we ate turkey sandwhiches and soup at the airport before flying home. They were tired and slept on the plane. Andy picked us up at the airport and we arrived at home early enough to enjoy the rest of our Sunday. It was a quick trip but it was nice to visit with family and friends. I grew up in Fayetteville until we moved away when I was 8 years old so the small town feels like home to me.
Matthew and Audrey with Jocelyn and Lillian at Chic-Fil-A
Audrey lost her ice cream
Audrey with Aunt Janet
Lauren, Joe, Janet, JP, and Jeremy
Matthew having fun with pool balls and Audrey wanting to join in
Monday, April 9, 2012
Happy Easter
What an eventful weekend! On Thursday, we started the day with doctor visits for Matthew and Audrey (16 month and 4 yr old checkup). Both of them needed shots and I was amazed when Matthew didn't cry. He had a vision and hearing test and passed with flying colors.
Audrey's 15 month old stats:
Weight: 21 lbs 42%
Height: 29 3/4 inches 16%
Head Circum: 18 in 47%
Matthew's 4 year old stats:
Weight: 35 lbs 42%
Height: 39 3/8 inches 30%
Then I took Audrey to the passport office so that we could get a passport in case we want to travel to the Caribbean some time in May to celebrate Andy's birthday (a little belated). Later that afternoon, we went to Great Wolf Lodge for a fun water park adventure. We met Macie out there and Matthew was having a blast with her. Mama and Matthew spent the night with Macie and her mama and the kids enjoyed story time at the hotel just as much as the water park. We stayed there until 3pm on Friday while Lori and Mary K watched Audrey at home. I was able to hit a few stores with Lori at Grapevine Mills mall before dropping her off at the airport.
On Saturday, we finally took Mimi out for breakfast. We went to the pancake house and started the day off right. After the kids naps, we went to the mall for a little shopping and then we ate at a restaurant in the quadrangle area outside so the kids could run around while we ate. They loved it. In the evening, we had a babysitter watch the kids and we went to the Easter vigil mass. It was a long ceremony where I was confirmed into the catholic church. It was a great experience for me and the service was done with such passion by the priest. The service started at 8:45pm and ended at midnight. We ate cake and punch afterwards for a nice reception.
We were all exhausted that night. Audrey was having poop problems so she woke up at 2:30am and didn't go back down until 4:30am. Andy and Mimi woke up at 5:30am to take Mimi to the airport. We had a relaxing day at home on Easter Sunday. It rained in the afternoon so we all took a good nap at the same time. Andy stayed busy smoking a ham and ribs. They were delicious! We had an easter egg hunt in the back yard and met up with some neighbors where we saw the Easter bunny.
Thank you all for your love and support with my journey with the RCIA process. I am excited to be able to fully participate in the communion with the church now. I have made some good friends through the process and it makes it feel more like a community when you know people. We wish all of you a blessed Easter!
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