Bargains Baby

A ridiculous deal I got yesterday at one local thrift store:

All of these books plus six more that the boys had in their room while I took this picture:

Plus this very large air craft carrier-thing that even has wheels (we need to get batteries today to see how it works), a bag of cars, and an REI long sleeve winter top (which the boys will need when they learn to ski in Oregon!)

All for $12.25.

Getting Around.......

We really were not out on a mission to allow the boys to sit in, ride in, stand in, or lie in as many modes of transportation as possible on our trip to TX and OKC.

It just looks that way.

In addition to all of the trains in a previous post....

Air conditioned water taxis (aren't those the best kind?):

Tackling poor Grandpa on the water taxi....yes, both of them:

Motorcycles (we just borrowed the neighbor's for a picture):

Golf Cart (again, we took the neighbor's cart):

Is this a preview of what's to come? Look at W's face while he is driving...he is on a mission!

Tractors:

More Tractors:

Tankers (courtesey of Aunt JJ-our most favorite tanker pilot in the world):

Pick-up Trucks (we believe they enjoyed riding sans car seats in the truck more than the tanker):

More river boatboats:

Space Capsules:

Didn't I say I was not potty training?

OK, so after spending the morning with our friends (to include little Caleb...who is a good three or four years older than the boys and of course, fully potty trained)...the boys decided to revisit the "big boy underwear" concept...

While they were in their room (not napping) they decided to find their big boy underwear, take off their diapers, put on the underwear, and put their own shorts back on (they both put them on backwards)....so they came out of their room announcing that they were "wearing underwears!"....a few months ago they were putting the underwear on over their shorts.


So it clicked today that the big boy underwear goes in place of (and not in addition to) the diaper.


They were very pleased with themselves...and I asked W what he needed to do if he had to pee or poop. He said "go on the potty." Ohhhkayyyy.....within minutes he was screaming. He peed all over himself. So we cleaned him up and then....J peed. They were not happy that the big boy underwear did not work as anticipated.


They are definitely old enough and ready to potty train but I just didn't want to do it with Geoff being gone. That is stressful enough. W did poop on the potty for the first time a few weeks ago at Aunt JJ's house...(2 days in a row) but hasn't since. Here is W making his first official poppy flush:



But soon.....

Beach

There is a very sweet photographer here who volunteers her time and talent for deployed spouses. Mainly to give the spouse a couple of complimentary photos of their family while they are away. Here are some of the pics she took of the boys and I at the beach. Unfortunately we didn't give her much to work with--the boys hadn't been to the beach in so long that they pretty much ignored her-if they weren't ignoring her, they were throwing sand (and throwing sand at her)...or giving her a "furrowed brow" look for interrupting their beach play. In a couple of pictures I have crazy hair because I was trying to get the boys to laugh by spinning in a circle while holding the...Here are a few keepers:

Cannon Ball!!

Here is Mark (Grandpa) doing a surprise pool arrival via cannon ball...he was trying to do it when the boys couldn't see him coming...........

Up High and Dive

We were all surprised that W did this...and continued to do this when we were in Texas. I guess he has the underwater breathing down fairly well. He frequently would come up laughing or with a big smile. I apologize in advance for my loud "hey" at the end.....

TrAiNs TrAiNs iT's aLL AbOuT tHe TrAiNs

The boys spotted railroad tracks soon after we arrived to Houston and then it became an obsession to spot any and all trains and any railroad tracks. Shortly after we arrived to Houston, we went to a large Barnes and Nobles where the boys and I were overwhelmed with the selection (we don't get out much these days) and the boys made themselves right at home (reading a train book of course!):

Grammy and Grandpa took us to two train hobby shops and they LOVED seeing the electric trains and a big electric train model village all set up. They also brought out their Christmas Polar Express electric train for the boys (I was nervous the entire time that they would break that thing):

J standing on his head to see the train up close:

....and the boys received a few new train books:

While we were in OKC visiting Aunt JJ we went to the zoo - a zoo that had THREE trains:

And then we went to a children's science museum:

...that had a large electric train display..the boys could have stayed there all day:

We got to see a real caboose that is parked in Old Town Spring and is used as a restaurant:

We even ate at a cafe right next to the railroad tracks and we were lucky enough to see a train go by:

When I saw these pictures I had another-there-they-go-growing-on-me again-moment. They look so much taller and older!