I better keep blogging so I can go ahead and bury that hideous picture of me! Ha! Ava and I just got back from a walk to the park. What little energy we both had, it's pretty much gone now. It was beautiful out as it often is this time of year. This is my favorite season! Growing up, October was always a blast, celebrating my birthday and Halloween. My mom always put on great parties for my bday, some of my best childhood memories. There was the one where we all got in a cotton trailer and my grandpa, (the cotton farmer), dumped cotton on us. Ok, so that sounds really dangerous now, but we all thought we'd died and gone to heaven. Jumping around on huge fluffy mounds of cotton, ahhh , pure bliss! The best part is that it didn't cost my parents a dime, because my grandpa had to harvest his cotton anyway. I think we were actually helping compact it! There were other memorable birthdays but that was surely the most unique. Other things I love about this time of year: pumpkins, candles burning, relaxing by the fire, baking, bundling up, and all the holidays. Now if I can just make it through without gaining any weight!

Ava's birthday present

These pictures were taken by Ava with her new Fisher Price camera. Not bad, huh?

What we woke up to this morning

Yes, that is blood on my poor baby's face. Timmy went in to get him and there was blood on his face and a lot on his sheets. I couldn't tell where it was coming from until I bathed him and saw it was from a hemangioma he's had growing on his face. I made a doctors appointment because the thing would not stop bleeding. She said it would go away on it's own and suggested keeping a little band aid on it. I'm so glad Timmy was here because I would have freaked otherwise. I don't do well with blood. I was still worried all day but the doctor alleviated most of my concerns.
Here he is, all cleaned up! That was the smallest band aid I had:)

Meanwhile, it was picture day for my little pumpkin so I dolled her up. Is she adorable or what? I can't wait to see the pictures!
Speaking of adorable, how cute is this? She started dance and so far so good. I think it will be good for her because it requires some discipline. Lord knows she needs a hefty dose of that!

Timmy is working tonight so I think I'm going to crawl into bed with some hot tea and watch a movie. I've been hooked on English period films lately so hopefully I can find something. I know, I'm a dork:) We have a really cool thing with our cable where you can "rent" a ton of movies for $2.
Anyhow, I hope everyone is doing well! Goodnight!

Summer Vacation Part II

I'm still here!

Sorry I've been so lazy about blogging lately! I've got fun things to tell you all about and a lot of pictures to share! It will have to wait until tomorrow though, because right now I can't wait to lay my head on that pillow! We took the kids to the fair today and I'm wiped! I'm getting up bright and early to go yard sale with Jen so I need my beauty sleep! Lots of it. Goodnight!

Langston Family Vacation: Part 1 - San Diego

I'm Back!

It's been a while! We're back from our vacation and it was wonderful! I can't find my usb to download pictures so that will have to come later. I can just tell you that it was great to see friends and family, and to just get away for a little while. That said, it 's awesome being back home. I missed Timmy, my house, my bed and lots more! The kids had so much fun at the beach and spending time with grandma, but they are also happy to have things back to normal. The first thing they did was go to their rooms and play with their toys they hadn't seen in almost a month. They are so much fun! Timmy and I have been so amused by their antics since we've been back. It feels really good to be together again. More on the vacation later!

Alex is 1 1/2 !!!!

I really wanted to do a little something for him, but as the day progressed, I just plain forgot. Go figure! Do you think he'll hold it against me? He's definitely more of a toddler now than a baby. He gets very frustrated when he doesn't get his way. If I don't give him the spoon, he refuses to eat. He wants to do everything his big sister does. Oh yeah, he also hides when he poops, then he'll come tell me by pointing to his diaper. I'm probably being overly optimistic, but I'm buying that boy a potty chair! As he gets older, he and Ava can actually entertain each other, so that's been nice. We had a big box in here the other day, and they must have played with that thing for an hour. It was so sweet to hear them laughing and playing with each other!

Waaaaaa! Don't take my picture! Waaaaaa!

Ok, maybe just one.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! It's still scorching here ( think triple digits), but for some reason it just hasn't been bothering me. We've been utilizing the water hose and that little blue pool to keep cool. I gave the kids Popsicles while they were sitting in the pool today and honestly, I've never heard them so quiet! They thoroughly enjoyed them so I've got yet another thing to bribe them with! It was Alex's first Popsicle and at first he didn't quite know what to do with it. He kept dipping it in the water, which of course made it melt faster! Some things they've just got to learn on their own. I wanted to take a picture but he didn't have any clothes on. Later I realized that I could just crop "certain things" out. I'll make a mental note of that because that boy runs around nakee a lot!

While stuck inside, due to the extreme heat, I've been doing a lot of baking. Ava loves to help too, and it sure does get messy! I can't wait to try some new recipes out for everyone in Fresno. Getting together with family just seems to go hand in hand with food!

What a nice evening! Timmy stayed home with the kids while Jen and I went to a movie. We saw Baby Mama and it was very cute. She was so sweet to pack little treat bags so we didn't have to buy $5 popcorn.

I'm getting really excited about our upcoming vacation to California! We leave in about 3 weeks and I can't wait! San Diego first, then on to Fresno. I just bought my spray tan today so I can lose the farmer tan. Traveling with the kids will be interesting but I'll have lots of little surprises to keep them busy!

Meanwhile, it has really been a challenge lately to keep the kids occupied all day here at home. I love being outside but not when it's 100 degrees. I don't even mind the heat that much but the kids just can't handle it. Poor Alex gets so red-faced and hot. So we've just played countless games of hide-and-go-seek, Candyland, Chutes and Ladders and so on. Ava also likes to hide all her dolls/animals and then have me look for them. The other day she was hiding them and then looking for them herself! Did I mention that we are ready for a vacation? Poor girl! We do have a few fun things planned this week to break to monotony. Tomorrow, we are going to the Science Place in Dallas. They have a hands on children's area that I know the kids will love. Then on Friday we are going to a water park with Jen and her group. That will be a great start to the weekend!

I hope everyone is having a great week! Goodnight!

Somehow, this weekend was really good and really bad at the same time. On Friday our ac stopped working. July in Texas with no ac = panic! Of course it was Friday at around 5 pm, when everything is closed until Monday( we needed a certain part). After discussing our options we decided to get a window cooler for our room and we'd all hang out in the there until Monday. I'll spare you the details but it wasn't the most fun we've ever had. Thankfully we were gone a lot. Now for the good part. We had some fun things planned with friends that helped take our mind off our little inferno here. We swam, ate, played and just enjoyed relaxing. Sure enough, first thing this morning, a nice man by the name of Gary came to our rescue. The house is now cool and I'm loving it!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July. We decided at the last minute to go check out our local fireworks show and I'm so glad we did! It was beautiful and Ava really liked it despite being scared last year. Of course they played all the usual patriotic songs that always bring a tear to my eye! Here are a few pictures of the 4th and some that I thought were cute. Goodnight!

After 10 days of no internet (gasp!), we're finally up and running! We switched providers but it didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped. I thought without the computer I'd get so much more done. I thought.

Timmy was off most of the week so that was really nice. Sleeping in, staying up late and just seeing where the day takes us! It was a good thing because I think he is going to be slammed until our vacation in August.

I've been faithfully doing step aerobics in my living room for 3 weeks now, but I'm worried knee trouble might derail my plans for a bikini bod by August. I'm taking 2 days off so hopefully that will help.

The kids are doing great. Ava is in a phase where she takes all her dolls/stuffed animals and puts a blanket on each one so they can "sleep". Tonight our entire living room floor was covered with blankets and sleeping dolls. It was quite a sight!

Alex got a haircut today and looks like he should be headed off to basic training. It's cute but super short. It's been a while since I posted so I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting. I'm tired and I still need to load the dishwasher so goodnight for now!

Band Aids

Ava has become very interested in band aids lately. She wants to put them on every scratch and scar. The other day when I was complaining that my shoulder ached, she ran away and quickly returned with a band aid. I explained to her that the pain was on the inside, but she just didn't get it. She tore the wrapper off and carefully placed it on my shoulder. Of course it made me smile and reminded me of how innocent children are. Wouldn't it be great it every hurt could be soothed with a band aid! Unfortunately, today, she really did need band aids. We met up with her little friend, Morgan, and her mommy at the splash park. They had a great time but after a dramatic wipe out on the sidewalk we decided to call it a day.

This has been a busy week for Jen. She's got two birthdays to celebrate in her family. Emma's was yesterday and Natalie's tomorrow. We had a great lunch at their house yesterday to bring in Emma's 10th year! They are growing up to be wonderful young ladies!

Alex, meanwhile, is as cute as ever! His latest milestone is pointing to his mouth when asked. We're working on nose, eyes and so on. He is so laid back and so sweet I could just kiss on him all day! I'm soaking in all his sweetness because I know this baby stage doesn't last long.

I hope every one's summer is off to a great start. Take care!

As Ava finishes up her movie I thought I'd give a quick update. Of course since we're pretty much home all day, there's not much to report! We did enjoy some cucumbers from our garden today! I put them in a black bean salad that my mom came up with. It's pretty great!

The kids are doing really good. They were excited to see Jen and the kids today. They were kind enough to watch them while I had a tune up at the orthodontist. If you have ever had braces you know how good your mouth feels the rest of the day!

So like I said, nothing much to report, but I don't want to abandon my blog! Goodnight evryone!

I'm trying to load a video of Alex walking but having no luck! I'm so excited to inform you that walking is now his main mode of transportation! If he falls down or in most cases, when Ava knocks him down, he just gets back up and keeps going. He looks so cute and reminds me of a little penguin waddling around.

We have been taking the kids to the pool this week. They both love swimming. Ava gets so excited she literally squeals with delight. That girl loves to be active so I have a feeling we'll be heading for the pool a lot this summer!

This morning I made a big breakfast and Jen and the kids came over. My idea of breakfast is usually a bowl of cereal, so Timmy didn't quite know what to do with himself! It was funny watching him load his plate like he didn't know when this rare occurrence might happen again!

Our big plans for this weekend include working in the garden and probably more swimming. I'll take it!

Our weekend

First we drove to Longview for Peyton's party. It was a very nice party and he was as cute as can be! That's him and Alex in the photo. He wanted to love on Alex, but Alex wasn't so sure! It's so fun to watch them together. We really enjoyed catching up with everyone.

Monday we went to Uncle Rod's for a cookout. Again, it was nice to see everyone and visit with Timmy's Granny.

Today was very stormy here with a lot of rain and thunder. When the rain stopped we took the kids for a nice long walk and enjoyed the brief cool down. I hope you all are rested from the 3 day weekend. Goodnight!

Taking a little trip

We'll be on the road tomorrow, headed to Longview. It's little Peyton's (nephew) first birthday party. Where does time go? Anyway, it'll be great to see everyone. I'll post pictures when we get back.

It's been a rough day for Ava. I took her in for a haircut and she refused to keep her head still. The result: it looks like she got a haircut in the dark. She's always been uncooperative when it come to haircuts. I can only hope she'll grow out of it soon!

Timmy mentioned that there are no pictures of him on here so I added some. Goodnight everyone!

It's Going to be a Hot One!

Summer that is! The time has come for sunblock, hats and lots of water. I took the kids to the spray park today and they had a lot of fun. Alex didn't know what to think at first but I think he really liked it. The kids took a nice long nap when we got home. Ahhh!

Photo courtesy of Jennifer!

Blah, Blah

That sums up my week! It was pretty rainy this week and Timmy worked a lot so it's been kind of dull around here. I also had a very minor toe injury that interrupted my exercise routine. That would help explain why I feel so tired and crummy!

Ava had her last day of preschool yesterday so I guess it's summer at our house. Alex is taking the whole walking thing pretty slow. Though, everyday he gets more adventurous and takes a few more steps.

Tonight we're going to a bbq at a local ranch so I better get busy. Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day! Mine was nice and very relaxing. After Timmy got back from his usual last minute shopping trip we went out for a great breakfast. When we got home, he worked in the yard and Ava and I just hung out in the back keeping him company. It was beautiful here today so we didn't want to go inside! Timmy tried to take pictures but as many of you know Ava is SO stubborn when it comes to pictures! She loves knock-knock jokes so this is me trying to tell her one so she'll smile. She finally did but then Alex decided he'd had enough. Oh well!

Last night we had Alex's dedication at church. It was so sweet! They said the pictures would be ready in a few weeks so I'll post one when I can. The Turner's joined us afterwards for dinner and we had such a nice time!

Timmy's sister also graduated from A&M yesterday. Congratulations Tiffini!!!

I hope you all have a great Monday! Goodnight!

Our Cinco de Mayo

So I'm a little late with the Cinco de Mayo post but here it is! Ava and I thought we'd try our hand at a homemade pinata. It was a lot of fun and VERY messy, but worth it. It took hours to create and was destroyed in about two minutes. We did get candy out of the deal so I guess it was a fair trade!

I hope you all had a great week!

My Baby's Walking!

It's an exciting night in our house! Alex took his first steps! He's been in bed for a while, but I'm still so happy! Seeing your baby walk is truly a great moment. At dinner I asked him if he wanted a drink. He nodded yes and said what we thought was "Yeah". So two new things tonight!
Jen and the kids were here and we had a lovely dinner (aside from the burger mishap). Sorry guys! Have a good night!

My Online Journal

I've been wanting to start a journal for a while now, so I guess this is the way to do it now. This blog will be about our everyday life, mostly mundane stuff, ZZZZZZzzzzzz!! I'll try to include pictures of the kiddos because they are growing up so fast! I hope everyone enjoys it!