Oh! What a Month!

It's been such a busy past 30 days... We've crammed six months worth of fun into one!  It started with a trip to Colorado in early October.  Mommy braved a flight alone with the two boys, and luckily, it was a smooth trip both going and coming.  We had a great time with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt G full of playtime, birthday celebrations and a trip to the pumpkin patch.  After spending a few days in the mountains, it was time to head to the city and see all of our Parker friends.  TJ was so happy to be reunited with Jack, and we even got to have a sleepover at Asher's house.  TJ was such an awesome boy on the plane, they let him go in the cockpit on our way out.

The weekend after we returned from Colorado, we went to Half Moon Bay's Lemos Farms to ride the train and play in the bounce house.  It was a beautiful day, but the boys were a bit worn out, so we didn't stay too long.

We rounded out the end of the month with a birthday party, Disney on Ice and two Halloween parties.  The boys had a great time at the show, and they both partied it up at gymnastics and TJ's school.  The kids sang songs for their parents before eating pizza and jumping in the bounce house.  It was so fun!

The Monday before Halloween, we stopped by a local pumpkin patch to get our family pumpkins.  Of course, there was a bounce house, and of course, TJ had a blast in it!

Baby Frankie had a wonderful first Halloween.  We all went trick-or-treating with the neighbors to a nearby neighborhood where all the houses are decorated and the homeowners are dressed up.  Some were a little scary, but not for TJ -- he loved every minute of it!

The boys have been busy between gymnastics, basketball and now swimming lessons!  TJ & Frankie take a class together as more of a "get used to water" class.  Both boys are loving it, and they're nice and tired when we get done! :)

In the past month, Baby Frankie has gotten his first tooth, mastered sitting up without support and started army crawling all over the house!  He's already in his 12 month clothes... so we're hoping we can all keep up with his growth!

TJ is having a great time at gymnastics still.  This past week, he started learning how to do cartwheels.  He's also getting good at dribbling and passing at basketball.  This weekend, TJ's basketball "team" gets to do their drills at halftime at USF's game.  He's so excited.  Of course, pictures will follow!

Movers, Shakers, Mischief-makers

That's what we have in our household these days, now the Frankie is rolling all over the place! He's six months old already, and he's taking over the house and getting into anything and everything. Just last week, TJ helped wrap his cousin Mary's birthday present. He very gently put the bow on it, and I stuck it in the box to be mailed. In one swift move, Frankie rolled over, reached his arm into the box and ripped the bow right off! Luckily, TJ's been pretty good about the change, and he keeps all his small toys off the floor - mainly because he doesn't like Frankie's slobber, but whatever works!

The two are playing together more, much to everyone's delight. TJ loves it now that Frankie interacts with him, and he's actually really good about sharing with his baby brother, which is great since Frankie wants everything TJ has. (This is just the beginning.) Frankie's pretty much always has a smile on his face, and he talks and talks and talks. We know we're in for it, but we just love how expressive he is. He's extra-chatty when he's talking with TJ, so that's really fun.

At his six-month appointment a few weeks ago, he weighed in at 17.5 lbs! Our little chunker is trying to get used to eating baby food, but he's a lot pickier than we expected. He has taken a liking to carrots, but forget plain rice cereal or oatmeal! Mommy is trying to make his baby food again, and she just whipped up a batch of peas, so hopefully those go on the "like" list.

Mommy's taking Frankie to storytime on Thursday afternoons, and he absolutely loves it. He just sits there with a giant gummy grin on his face during the stories and songs... it's so fun to see! TJ's doing great as well. In addition to gymnastics, he now goes to basketball practice on Monday afternoons. (That means, no naps for Mommy on Mondays and Thursdays, but I would trade sleep for time with the boys!) He really loves playing, and the coaches are awesome -- teaching him basketball skills through fun games and drills. He's actually a little natural... he's picking up dribbling, and the first time he had to throw an overhead bouncepass, it was perfect! We just love watching him play, and it's so fun to share my love of the sport with him.

TJ's skills at gymnastics are improving as well. He can do the balance beam by himself, and he's becoming a pro on the bars -- he can do a front-support and straddle on his own, and he's working on flipping over the bar now. It's crazy! Aside from playing with the cubby-full of cars and super heroes,

TJ loves to draw. Aunt G bought him a desk/easel for his birthday, and he uses it almost daily. He draws pictures of him and Frankie as well as BoBos the cat and pretty much everything his mind cooks up. He drew Pa a picture of him for his birthday, and he even drew a kidney stone on it. Silly boy. He's also really good at writing his letters... not just his name, but everyone's names!  He even draws on himself... this one, he wrote his name, upside down (looking down onto his belly), and while we told him he shouldn't write on himself... it was pretty impressive!

TJ loves to sing songs... songs from preschool and songs he makes up in his head (which are really quite good.) Both boys are such a joy to be around, and while it's so fun watching them grow and become who they are, it's really sad to watch how fast the time goes by. 

Just GREAT!

It’s been a great couple of weeks in the Martin household… we’ve been busy having fun and making wonderful memories.

A couple of weeks ago, we took a trip down the peninsula to Santa Clara to spend the day at Great America. We haven’t been to an amusement park since TJ was 18-months-old, and needless to say… he had a blast!!! TJ rode all the rides in Kidzville, and he loved playing in the water park at Planet Snoopy. His favorite ride? The rollercoaster! Mommy wasn’t sure what to expect, but TJ loved the fast-paced ride… raising his arms and squealing in delight. We rode it four times! He also jumped behind the wheel of a bumper car for the first time. Initially, he couldn’t figure out how to get out of the corner, but he got the hang of it, and he loved it when he and the other kids would bump! TJ & Frankie met Snoopy, Woodstock and the rest of the Peanuts Gang. Our “Little Linus” even got a picture with the real Linus… blankets and all!

 

Last weekend, Aunt G came into to town to visit and help Mommy out while Daddy was at his Fantasy Football Draft. The new Bay Bridge was opening, and we were expecting a busy weekend at work, but it ended up being slow and we had a chance to get in a lot of quality visiting. Before Daddy flew out for SoCal, we all went to the Greatest Show on Earth! It was the boys’ first time, and we all had an amazing time taking in the sights and sounds of the circus! TJ loved the woman who flew out of the cannon – he now tries to get Daddy to help him re-enact it! Frankie was in awe of all the music and lights! The next day, the boys had their first experience of Chuck E. Cheese’s. TJ was a crackup. Apparently he watches too much TV because he kept saying, “Chuck E. Cheese’s is a proud sponsor of Disney Junior.” Oh Lord!

 

It was a great weekend, and we were all sad to see Aunt G go, but we’re excited to get through the rest of the week so Grandma can hurry up and get here! She’s flying in to watch the boys so Mommy & Daddy can fly out to the Big Easy for the big game (and to celebrate our 5-year wedding anniversary)! WHO DAT!