No Free Rides For Alexander :(...Playtime In The Backyard

Where is my driver

This morning was beautiful and warming up a bit so what better way to spend it than outside. So let me set this story up and it starts with yesterday. While Alexander was sleeping yesterday afternoon, I had given up on Brayden napping that day when I sneezed and heard my little boy yell "Bless you, Mommy.....Mommy?.....Mommy?....MOMMY!" Ok, so he won and now it was time to entertain.....ouside here we come. His thing to do out in the backyard is to drive me or what I thought anyone around in his car, he is such the big boy these days.
So this morning, I put Alexander in the car, and we were waiting for Brayden to get in with his lil' bro and give him a ride around the backyard, and we waited, and waited a bit more. Brayden had no interest in being in the car or even driving Alex around, he instead was trying to find a spider and it it water...again (I caught him yesterday pouring water from his water bottle on the ground, and in his words to me "pider need water"). Great! So, Wally last night was trying to explain to Brayden as that was nice of him to share it was a no-no that spider could give him an ouchie (we had a Black Widow last year in our window facing the backyard).

Late Valentine's Update

Valentine's Day was pretty low key, Wally was worked late the day before so the boys and I went hat day and got him a little gift, cards, and a balloon, and set it out on the counter so when he got home he had a little surprise. On Valentine's Day, we hung around here as Wally's "Man Room" was getting the final touch installed....the tv. Later that afternoon, Brayden was so excited that he got mail...a Valentine's card from Grammy and his face opening it up was priceless along with the Easter basket from last year he was using as a messanger tote. Alexander thought his card was edible, and as you can see already had a little somethin-somethin on his face....thanks to Brayden sharing his cookie with his little bro.
That night Wally and I went to dinner at Nick and Sam's, and I had the best steak of my life....the Japanese Kobe Steak, that steak is so tender it is like butter, YUMMY! It was a great dinner and was nice to hang out with my hubby and have a nice adult evening and conversation. After dinner we went to Dragonfly to have a drink, and then it was back home so Wally could get to bed b/c it was another early morning for him.

Who's The Baby?!

On this Saturday morning we had just bought Alexander a walker, thinking he may enjoy this, especially when I am cooking in the kitchen....hmmmm. So I was feeding the baby boy his lunch before it was time for Brayden to sit down and eat, and next thing I know I hear the walker coming out of the bedroom. Being that Brayden is running around the house and there is a new toy in the house, it is not odd that Brayden would be playing with it, but when I turned around and saw my 2 year old in the walker walking around I was a little surprised. What is even just as funny is when Alexander is in it, but the poor boy can't even walk around when Brayden is around b/c Brayden is pushing him. This thought came to Wally and I before we bought it and that we would have to watch out for this, but surprisingly Brayden is very gentle pushing Alex around, and they both are laughing.

All Grown Up

Our routine with Brayden after Alexander goes to sleep is to crawl into Mommy & Daddy's bed (usually it is Wally and I with Brayden in the middle) and get under to covers and we all watch the last of Miss Spider and Little Bear, and then he is off to bed. Tonight, it was just Brayden and I (Daddy is working extra hard, so that means long hours both week day and weekend) and on this evening he took off my glasses and put them on and asked to have his picture taken....I jump at this moment because he will actually sit still for me to take his pic. It was cracking me up to see him with the glasses on, he looked like a little school boy and not my bouncing-off-the-walls toddler. Too cute, B!

Happy Birthday, Rayne...How does it feel to turn 25?!

I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my big sis...it was actually yesterday, but a little shout out is better late than never. To celebrate my sister's b-day on the blog, I will share my favorite story... We are 8 years apart, so I have always had truly someone to look up to, poor Rayne, though, because of that she had to be a saint, otherwise I would tattle tale, baby sisters...what can I say. This isn't the story, but I remember she was listening to her new cd she had bought with a neighbor friend and I had happen to walk by and the cd was full of explicit lyrics, I being very young was shocked to her what was playing and that my big sister would be listening to that, I at this point had never heard my sister cuss so didn't think she would listen to that. Then I grow up to the same age that my sister was when I heard her listening to that cd, and I am listening to Marilyn Mason....sorry, Rayne. So my favorite memory when we were younger, I was in elementary school and she was in high school, on our early release days, and sometimes not, she would come and pick me up from school (I loved being called out of class a little early from everyone else to go home early), and we would go and get ice cream. We usually went to McDonald's by our house and since it was early, there was a retirement home that would take their residents to go play bingo up at the McDonald's, and I loved watching them play. I didn't know then that the time spent with my sister would hold a special place in my heart....I was just a little girl getting ice cream at the time.

Now she is a wife and a mother, and a fantastic one at that, and now Sadie will have special memories of getting ice cream with her mother as I once did. Wow, how things have changed, really, we've just grown up. So, Rayne, Happiest Birthday, I love you, and thanks for being my big sis....I cherish the memories I have with you and look forward to the ones we will make and share when we are 80.

Brayden & Alexander Together....These Are The Moments A Mother Loves

The boys playing with daddy
Playing soccer with a balloon
Go Alexander!
What is behind this curtain
"Mom, where is Brayden?"
I see a foot peeking out
Boo! There's Brayden....sneaky little boy
Our evenings watching Little Bear....one boy down, one to go

Now that Alexander is older he is more aware of his brother and has a grin from ear to ear and kicks his feet with excitement when he sees Brayden. In the morning when it's just he and I before Brayden wakes up I ask him "Where's Brayden?" and he perks up and makes a noise that almost sounds like he is saying "Huh?". So here lately since Alexander is scooting around and of course older the boys have actually been enjoying each others company...still at times Brayden will snatch Alexander's toy away and say "Mine!" (we are working on sharing and trying to get rid of that wonderful word) or he will rough play with Alexander, forgetting he is still too young for that. But these, as a mother, are the moments I love and have been waiting for...not to rush Alexander growing up, but to watch my boys be brothers, a special bond and love that no one or thing will be able to take away or replace.

Family+Fun+Football=Sunday

Alexander at play
Yasmeen, Brayden, and Noora
Noora trying to explain something to Wally
Wally being silly with Noora, Noora thinking he's lost it
Ihab and Alexander having a stare down
Alexander won, he has looks that could kill :)
Alexander with his Great Aunt
Brayden amused us with pretending to be asleep b/c Alexander was sleeping and getting attention
Brayden found a new toy....who knew a basket would be so fun

Brayden chasing Noora

The kiddos laying in the leaves
Climbing the light pole
Brayden loved the leaves and throwing them in the air

Sunday morning we were up early and off to see Wally's side of the family and have breakfast. Wally's mom made a very yummy breakfast for a large group we have become....I think it was 13 and that is just the immediate family. After breakfast, we sat around and chatted, watched the Yasmeen, Noora, and Brayden play (I never thought that Brayden would play so well with them with the age gap, but he loves being with the big girls), and the babies Mariam and Alexander play and slowly start to interact.

Next thing you know, it is lunch time and we are still hanging out, so pizza orders are taken and 30 minutes later we are eating pizza and a football game is beginning. Along with eating pizza, there is still more play, more talking and catching up, and a little more tv watching due to football playoffs. Brayden was quiet funny, he fell in love with a mesh pop-up basket, and was chasing Noora in circles around the living room for a good amount of time. Alexander was his usual good self even being off his normal schedule that day and the day before.

We finally left after the football games (sad about the Cowboys), dinner, a little meltdown from Brayden since it was his 2nd day of no nap, and being out of formula for Alexander, since we had only packed for being gone for a couple of hours, and ended up borrowing some from Nehal, now it was really time for us to go since bedtimes were quickly approaching.