Catch-Up: Bday, H-town, Doc, Wii Party

So it's been a long time since I've updated my blog. Buck came home, we had Gavy's bday party, we went on an impromptu trip to Houston & visited the Children's Museum, took the boys to their yearly doctor appts that included shots, had a dinner party, bought a Wii U... yep, that's about it. Let me back up and start from the beginning...

Buck ended up coming home the night before Gavy's birthday party. I expected him during the day, but he ended up having a crappy day and didn't get home until almost midnight. Buck's mom and step-dad stayed up with me to wait on him to get home. We were all exhausted but did what we could to stay up until Buck made it home safely. Jodi and I ended up rearranging furniture, cleaning couches, and vacuuming so we could stay awake. He finally made it... we all visited for about an hour and then hit the sack to be ready for a busy day of Gavy's party.

The birthday was perfect... it was a Toy Story theme party (of course). I had way too much fun coming up with ideas and activities for the party. Not to mention his Toy Story cake came from a bakery that made a professional Woody cake for Gavy. I cut up foam-paper to make Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head parts for all the kids to create their own Potato Head. Pinterest gave me the idea to make Buzz Lightyear juice bottles out of Starbucks Frappuccino bottles... so of course I had to do that! Merly made a Toy Story back-drop with an Etch-A-Sketch frame for kids to hold in front of them for a picture opportunity. So cute! Of course Gavy was the only one that we couldn't get to sit in front of the back-drop and take a picture though... ugh! I also came up with the idea to do a few science experiments for simple activities -- colorful glitter volcanoes out of baking soda and vinegar:) and a tray of baking soda with droppers of colored vinegar to drop onto the baking soda... cool stuff! Amazes little kids and great to see their faces as the reactions take place. Overall, the party was perfect. Lots of family and friends... what more could you ask for!

Buzz Light-Year juice for Gavy's bday -- courtesy of Pinterest idea

Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head puzzles for kids to assemble -- party gift

Gavy's Toy Story Cake:)

Gavy all dressed up for his Toy Story Birthday! 

A day after Gavyn's party, I was pooped! However... Buck came up with the brilliant idea to drive to Houston... ugh! I was not ready to be in a car for 4 hours, but he quickly talked me into going. Jodi had mentioned a children's museum that she wanted to take the boys to the next time we came down... so I decided to see if I could find coupons. I actually found a Groupon that cut the price in half... so I was sold on going to Houston:) We had a great visit with Jodi & Steve and had a fantastic time at Houston's Children Museum. That museum has by far been the best children's place I've ever been. It was so clean and had something for each of my boys throughout the museum. We will definitely return.

Daddy & Lynk trying to put the world puzzle together before the time runs out! 

Buck & the boys trying to put together a log house -- they gave up after about 10 min. 

Lynk working with tools in the chemistry lab. 

Gavy showing off his dare-devil skills on the rock climbing wall. 

My little waiter:)

Boys working hard to save a life!

Lynk and Gavy had their yearly doctor appointment the day we returned from Houston. Both boys are doing great. Lynk had to do an eye and ear test... did great on both. The flu has been running rampant this year. There has even been a few 6 yr olds that have died in the Dallas area. My dad was adamant about the boys having their flu shots this year. So, we decided to get their flu shots during their appointments. I was sooo glad Buck was able to be with me for this appt. Lynk went CRAZY! As soon as they came in with the shots, he began freaking out. They told Buck to hold him and pull his pants down... well Lynk was NOT having this. He began screaming at the top of his lungs... the look on his face was sheer terror. Like we were KILLING him. Buck tries to reason with him -- I quickly grabbed them both and said to Buck "He's 5. You can't reason with a 5 yr old over a shot. We just gotta do this quick!" We both held him down and the nurse gave him the shot. I have never seen Lynk so scared. His face was all blotchy and he was glassy-eyed. It was horrible. When we were done with Lynk, I quickly realized that Gavy was still in the room and had seen and witnessed all of this from Lynk. I was nervous that Gavy was going to be terrified. To my disbelief, I turned to find Gavy standing right behind me with his hands on his hips. He said very matter-of-factly, "Mama, I'm ready for my shot. And I not gonna cry." Before he could change his mind, I picked him up and put him on the table. He cried a few seconds when the shot went in, but was fine shortly after. My how different my boys are!!! After this trauma that Lynk went through, we agreed that the boys needed a trip to the park. They ran and played for a while. Lynk hasn't spoken of his shot since.

We had a dinner party with a few of our friends the weekend before Buck had to go back to West Texas. It was so much fun. Jessica, Eddie, Amy, and Rich all came over to hang out. We ate spaghetti, played Jessica's Wii, and drank. Perfect night. Gavy and Lynk crashed our Mario Kart tournament shortly before midnight. We let them play a few rounds before making them go back to bed. Both boys love Jessica so much... Lynk sat in her lap while he played. At one point we played a basketball game on Wii Sports... it was pretty hard. But the funniest part was that Buck had such a hard time with it. Buck NOT being able to master a game, whether it's his first time or not, has NEVER happened. He got so frustrated... I was dying laughing. I'm pretty sure everyone else was laughing too... but I don't know for sure because I almost peed myself I was laughing so hard. Amy and I were pretty much the worst players of the night overall. We couldn't get the hang of anything... we couldn't keep our players on the Mario Kart tracks for anything.

Rich, Amy, Buck... and the little party interrupter, Gavy playing Wii

Jessica, Eddie and the second party interrupter, Lynk playing Wii

After the Wii party night, Buck and I got a bug for wanting another Wii for us. Seeing the boys get so excited about it, especially Lynk, pretty much sold us on getting a new one. Turns out there was a newer Wii called the Wii U. We ended up buying it. It took forever to load when Buck was setting it up. It was well passed midnight when it was all loaded and ready to play. We let Lynk stay up so that he could play a little bit. He was so pumped. We ended the night making Miis for Buck, Lynk and me. It was a fun night:)

Lynk... no so patiently waiting on Daddy to finish setting up the new Wii. He was like a kid on Christmas morning. 

Buck is back in West Texas for work. Boooooo! Merly came and stayed the night with us the first night Buck was gone. She had a late night of Basketball duty at her school, so she decided to come stay with us since it was so late. We live really close to her school so it only makes sense. The boys and I love it when she visits. The boys and her finger painted, played with Legos, and searched for hidden objects in their new Highlights magazines from Grandma Pat. It was a good night.

We miss Buck... and it's only been a couple days. Knowing that he'll be able to come home every 2 weeks makes it that much more bearable though. I'm hoping they'll finish a hole and we'll be able to go there to visit him. It'll be good for the boys and I to get away for a few days.

I've been working with Lynk on his letter sounds and Gavy on recognizing his letters and names of objects. We've been using their ABC flashcards as an activity. The other night, I showed them a picture of a King and the following conversation ensued:

Lynk: "Queen!" 

Me: "No, close. It's a boy."

Gavy: "Boy Queen!"

Me: "No, what do we call a boy that is married to a queen?"

Lynk: "Ugly Queen! Dirty Queen"!

Hahahahaha... I love how their minds work!

Well, that about sums up the last couple of weeks. The boys have watched Real Steel (or Robot Punch as they call it) twice already today... Lynk is dressed in his Iron Man costume (Noisy Boy costume for today) and Gavy is dressed in the Optimus Prime costume (Adam costume for today). Lynk will only answer to Noisy Boy and they are practicing their punches. Their imagination is top-notch:)