Texas Trip

The boys & I went to Texas a few weeks ago to visit my mom & dad (Mimi & Papa).  When people ask what we did, I truly say, "not much...just hung out."  I'm serious.  We left the house one time, only to go to the Wiggles Play Center.  Every single day while we were there, we hung out by my parent's pool, swam, listened to music, enjoyed great food & wine (thanks Mama!) & spent great quality time together.  The boys loved it.  And so did I...it was fantastic.  

One especially perfect thing that happened while we were there was that Lincoln had his very first fishing trip with Papa.  My dad took him out in his golf cart to the "lake" (AKA the pond near Hole 5 on the golf course) where he taught Linc to put the worm on the hook, cast the line, & wait for the bite.  Here they are leaving for their trip:

And sure enough...Lincoln caught his very own fish!  Here he is so proud of his catch:

And here's Linc watching the fish flail on the ground...he was very concerned.

Here are some other pictures of the kids during our stay that were really sweet times:

Yummy watermelon with Papa:

Here's Levi showing off his doctor's glasses that he wanted to wear all the time.  He sees me wear my sunglasses on top of my head so often, that he believes that is how a person wears glasses all the time!  Hilar.

Mimi & the boys enjoying lemon halves.  I know, totally random.  But my mom was cooking & had an extra lemon.  Lincoln said he wanted to try some, & he ended up loving it.  Then he played with the rinds, & here we are.  Enjoying the lemon halves as head phones.  

I can't believe school starts in just 2 short weeks.  Linc will be in a pre-K program 4 days a week.  I can't believe it!  He's going to love it.  He has been missing his classmates like crazy this summer.  

Talk to y'all soon,

A Terribly Cute Lincoln Conversation

BACK STORY: Last night as the boys were bathing, I was sitting on the couch watching TV.  I then heard Levi struggling, coughing...and I knew he was caught up in the water.  I raced into the bathroom, & literally slid (think sliding into home-plate) all the way into the bathroom & directly into the side of the tub, to catch him in time.  I was able to catch Levi on his side before he was under the water, thankfully.  In sliding across the floor, however, both my knees slammed directly into the edge of the tub.  This hurt my knees so badly that I cried for the next 10 minutes.  Both boys at this point were beside themselves.  Levi was screaming (mainly b/c I was moaning & rocking back & forth...ya know when things just hurt like fire & you don't know what else to do??...and you find yourself doing repetitive movements?...), & Lincoln was crying.  This conversation ensued:

Me: "Oh my gosh, this hurts so bad."

Linc: "Momma, are your legs broken?  What's happening?  What's wrong?"

Me: (moaning) "Oohhhh, I can't think straight..."

Linc: "Oh no.  MOM.  I think we need to go to the hospital.  You need to go see Dr. Lightning McQueen.  He will put a band-aid on it & you will feel all better."

Me: "That sounds like a great idea."

Linc: "Then we will come home, & I will tuck you in your bed.  I will crawl up in the bed with you & we will eat waffles.  Wait, no--waffles are too sticky.  We will eat bananas.  Wait, no--bananas make my poop hard.  I've got it!  We will eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches together & we will cuddle.  And you will have a band-aid on your boo-boos.  And you will be all better by the morning time.  OK, Momma?  Is that a great idea?"

Me: (laughing) "Yep, that sounds fantastic."

Linc: "What a great plan."

Have a good weekend!

Disclaimer: My story kinda made it sound like the couch was way far away from the bathroom.  It's literally just around the corner.  I don't put my kids in the tub & then go for a run or anything.  Just sayin.  

More pics of our park day...

"Sweet Baby Liam" (as Lincoln likes to call the nearly 18 month-old...)

Levi sliding down the slide.

One-handed on the handle-bars!

Scared.

Excited.  And kinda scared too.

Daddy & Baby.  Are they twins or what?

Awww...
Handsome 4 1/2-year-old...


What a sweetie-pie (Lincoln's term of endearment for Levi):

Going through the tunnel.

I hope your Saturday was just as fun & joyful as ours was.

xoxo

If you need a reminder of what pure delight is...

then let me bring you up to speed.

We all went to Dragon Park this morning, & boy, did we have fun. We met Lindsay & Liam there, & we all had a picnic lunch & played.  It was a great time.  Here are some photos of our day.  

P.S.  I have no idea why my font is sometimes underlined or in blue color, but just go with it.  

my fantastic firecrackers

We had a fabulous Fourth of July. Bicycle parade, pool, tacos & fireworks in our front yard. What a way to celebrate the holiday. The boys are snug in their beds. Here are pictures of our day.

Preparing to leave for the parade:


Silly faces:


Me & my firecrackers:


Helmet? Check.


Waiting for the fire truck to start the parade.


Keeping up with all the bike riders.


Levi joined in the fun as well. But he chilled out in the stroller.


Later in the evening, we sat out on our front porch & lit fireworks.











Awesome day. Happy Birthday USA.

Here's my little butter bean...

I just want to eat him up.


Happy Smiles,

the cutest boy that you ever did see...

joy.


peace.



Isn't he? I know, those of you with boys the same age as mine are thinking 'heck no, mine is cuter'...but really, he's not. Mine's the cutest. There. I said it.

You would've thought this was the first time ever he's been allowed to play in the sprinkler...I tell ya, we have had the best time this summer. Our nights are full of joy, laughter, sprinklers, pools, sun, & neighbors. We're having a great time.
xoxo

Slacker.

I know, I know, I've been such a slackerblog. I just made that term right up. I've taken lots of pictures, but haven't uploaded them to the computer yet. Our days this summer so far have been spent with many (and I mean MANY) hours at the Brentwood YMCA (I have made so many new friends there, as has Lincoln...yay!), & at the McKay's Mill Pool. We've gone to birthday parties for kids at the Y, & have had several outings to Target, Toys R Us, & Chick-fil-A. It's been fun. But can I just say that I'm totally over summer? I hate it with a vengeance. This monkey business of it being so humid that my glasses fog up & I'm sweating by the time I get Levi in the carseat is for the birds. I've had several instances where my shower "just didn't take." My zumba teacher, Maggie, uses this phrase when she gets out of the shower, & it's like she never showered at all. You just get hot & start sweating as soon as you get out of the shower. I've had many showers that simply "didn't take" this week. This royally pisses me off beyond measure. Can I get some dry heat please? Just a smidge would be nice. Sheesh.

In other Cissell news, Levi has started saying some words like "baby", "book", "brother" (his term for Linc), "car", & "apple". It's cute watching him try to pronounce things just like his big brother. They wrestle all the time, & as it turns out-we think Levi will be rougher than Lincoln. Which we honestly thought was an impossibility. But whenever we turn around, Levi is chasing after Lincoln, & wrestling him to the ground. It's hilar. They have such an awesome time together, & laugh all the time. Levi wants to read books all the time. He wants a book in his hand at all times. I love this, because I love reading books too.

I'll post pictures soon. Don't hate me.
Ciao for now.

You need a lover?

Van Morrison's "I'll Be Your Lover Too" has been my favorite song of all time for the past 20 years of my life. No song has ever eclipsed it for as long as I've remembered. Certain songs have come & gone, but that song has remained at the #1 slot in my life for as long as long is long. I've never been a huge fan of the Twilight series. Any movie involving vampires, wolves, etc. has not been of any interest to me. So when I went on a search of Van's song on projectplaylist.com, all that showed up was a version that Robert Pattinson did. What???? I'm so not a fan of Robert's, but when I heard that he did this song, I had to pull it. It's a pretty cool version that's not at all what Van's is, but nevertheless, he brings a certain vibe that is all his up to the front. This I like about it. But nothing can beat Mr. Morrison's version. Listen to this one, but always go back to the original. It just can't be beat. I think it will be #1 on my list for the next 10 years.

I'll be your lover too.