Fast Asleep

Timothy gets to spend the days with Grandma and Grandpa while Jason and I work. He had a hard time adjusting to the new schedule and not being around his friends, but he is finally over that and enjoys spending time with his grandparents. One of the big changes for him is not being required to take a nap everyday like he did at Country Home. While Grandma loves the quiet time she gets when he does take a nap, she didn't force him if he wasn't sleepy.

Well, lately, Timothy has been coming home extremely crabby and almost unbearable for us. He likes to tell us what and what not to do. We figured out that he wasn't taking a nap, so today we told Jimmy and Joy to make sure he takes a nap. Just turn off the TV and put him in a room and he will finally fall asleep.

Needless to say, I think they wore him out today, as you can see in the picture below. I think he just fell wherever and crashed!

They are so sweet when they are sleeping!!

Happy 5th Birthday Timothy!!

Well, my baby boy isn't a baby anymore. Timothy turned 5 on September 5th and we celebrated his birthday at Bandera Bowl. We wanted to have swimming party at our neighborhood pool, but found out that we could only bring in 20 guests. Anyone that knows Jason's family knows that 20 people would only cover his family, part of it anyway! So, the pool party was a no-go. We wanted to do something inside if we couldn't have a pool party because it had been 100+ degrees for about 2 months and I wasn't going to have everyone burn up outside, not on my account anyway! So, a bowling party was what we landed on, and what a good choice.

Everyone had so much fun, including the 4 adults that bowled (me, my dad, Amber and Ashley). The little ones were on a lane together, then the older kids on a lane, and the adults on the other. It was so fun to watch the little ones get so excited. Addison (almost 2 years old) didn't want to hold the ball and roll it down the lane. She just wanted to stand at the foul line and watch her dad roll it down the lane. She didn't care if it hit any pins or if it went into the gutter. She just wanted to watch it go down the lane. She cheered and clapped her hands!

Addison watching the ball go down the lane!

Timothy, JD, Ryan and Austin were on the lane with Addison as well. They were just as excited to bowl as the others. They didn't care if the ball only hit one pin. You would have thought they got a strike! Ryan even yelled "Strike" every time the ball hit a pin.

The kids enjoyed bowling, pizza and a Great American Cookie Cake to celebrate Timothy's birthday. The party was a success and Timothy says he feels so much older now!

Enjoy the pictures taken by Timothy's Granny!

Timothy showing off his great form!

Papa enjoying bowling just like the kiddos!

Look at the concentration on JD's face!

Ashton is a natural!

Ryan is doing his "Granny Shot" for Granny!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY TIMMY!

WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

Little Gymnast

Since the Wildcats Baseball fall season is on hold, we have way too much time on our hands. Whatever will we do with all that time??? Instead of sitting around and enjoying our free time, we had to find something to fill up that space. So, we put Ashton back in gymnastics. He went to Sunburst Gymnastics a few years ago, but began talking back at school and had some discipline problems, we took him out. We figured now was a good time to try that sport to see how he does this time around.

We took him to United Gymnastics for a trial class to see how he does and to let the coach evaluate him to see if he should be in the recreational class 1 or 2 (depending on his skills). Ashton did very well and showed his flexibility and strength. It was no surprise to me that the coach asked him to join the boys competitive team, not the recreational classes. He said that Ashton could bring a lot to the team because his legs are always straight and his toes are pointed.

There is obviously a cost difference and a more significant amount of time at the gym when on the team versus being in a recreational class. Four hours in the gym a week vs. one hour. We had a big decision we had to make. The coach said we could come back and attend the boys team class for a minimal charge to see if this is what we want to do. So, we did just that.

Last Monday, we took Ashton to the boys class. This is a two-hour long class and there are 4 boys on the team. To my surprise, Ashton was one of the better boys on the team. The coach used Ashton to demonstrate the exercises a few times on the rings and the floor. He definitely needs to practice and additional muscles to do the high bar, but that is expected.

Practice ended at 6:45 that night and Ashton was BEAT!!! He feel asleep on the couch at 8:15 in the middle of the summer, that just doesn't happen! After long discussions, Jason and I decided we thought he has the potential to do well and since he doesn't have baseball right now, we would sign him up for the boys team. After just one day of practice, Ashton was able to do a back handspring and front handspring on his own, with no spotter. Guess it just comes naturally to him!

On the way home from practice the other night, Timothy said he wants to be in gymnastics. Well, Timothy is built very differently from Ashton. He is stalky and very strong. So, Jason told Timothy that he could do gymnastics when he can do the splits like Ashton. Timothy's response in a very whiny almost crying voice, "I don't like to do the splits, they hurt really bad." Then, he repeated himself a few times. We all laughed and Jason told him that he will be our little football player, that made him much happier to hear!

That's Us, King & Queen of Spontaneity!

Those that know us, know that we love to take last minute trips. If you continue to come back and read my blog, you will find this out quite quickly. Jason and I love to just pack up the car and take us where ever Courtney (the name Timothy gave our GPS system) points us to. Fourth of July was no exception. Katie can't believe that we can just pack up and go with no plans or schedule.

Ashton had spent most of the summer practicing for All-Stars for his little league baseball team, so when the season was finally over, we were excited to have a little extra time to ourselves which wouldn't be spent at the baseball fields. So, what did we decide to do? Take the boys to a few Houston Astros baseball games. What was supposed to be a one-night trip to Houston to watch a Saturday and Sunday game turned out to be a 4-night trip to a few different places.

We decided Friday afternoon at work to leave that evening. Because we travel so much for work and for pleasure, we have quite a few points racked up with several different hotel chains. So, we had enough points to stay FREE at a hotel on Friday night. Of course, we packed up the car and headed on our way! We were Houston bound after making the decision to leave that afternoon, typical for us!

Saturday, we enjoyed the Kemah Boardwalk, but only for a few hours because it was HOT!!! We went back to the hotel and let the boys swim in the indoor pool that was FREEZING. I could barely put my toes in the water it was so cold. But, it didn't seem to phase be boys at all. Later that evening, we went the Astros game vs the Boston Red Sox. We bought the nose-bleed seats for this game since the kids were free. The game was good. Saw a few home runs and those are always exciting to see at any age! After the game, the Astros put on a private fireworks show for the 4th of July. Has to be one of the best shows I've ever seen!!

Enjoying the view from the Ferris Wheel on the Kemah Boardwalk.

I was riding the swings with Ashton. When we got off, we saw that Jason and Timothy were on the hot air ballon ride together. Jason was quite snug in that balloon. :)

The next day, we woke up and decided we didn't want to go home that night, so we extended one more day. We went to the Astros game again, but this time had Club Level seats and they were great. Before the game, Ashton and Timothy got their hats signed by two pitchers: #59 - Wilton Lopez & Javier Bracamonte (who apparently doesn't play for the Astros anymore).

This is Ashton's GHLL All-Stars hat showing the autographs he got.

The Astros were down by 1 in the 9th inning, so the boys put their Ralley Caps on.

After the game, we took the boys to the Galleria so Ashton could ice skate in the middle of the mall. He had fun and got the hang of it pretty quickly. He fell a few times and complained about how badly his hands stung on the ice. It was worth the money and the wait to see the huge smile on his face. He loved it. Now, if only he could do that more often, but not something he can expect when we live in South Texas. Wrong climate for that!

The next morning was 4th of July and we were supposed to go back home, but I just couldn't go home and spend 4th of July doing nothing. So, we drove to Galveston to see the beach, and well, that wasn't much to be excited about. That water was NASTY!! Since we didn't have anything to do or anywhere to be, we drove down the coastal highway that eventually took us to Rockport. We stopped and at at The Big Fisherman and on the way, I Pricelined a hotel. We stayed at the Omni in Corpus Christi on 4th of July for $90. I called them before booking and they wanted to charge us $160 that night, but thanks to Priceline, I got the room with a view of the fireworks from the Lexington for $90.

Needless to say, we had a great time and we did it all without any plans!!! We just go where our hearts (and Courtney) take us!!

Katie - That's how you can be spontaneous and not have any plans. We will show you how to do it, but you just have to go with the flow and not be on a schedule!! It's a blast and the boys love these quick, spur of the moment trips!!

Test. Test. 1,2,3...

So, it's been a while since I said I was going to do this. I guess I didn't have the drive to write a blog, but with my little helper sitting by my side (Katie Blair), I'm going to do this blog this time. Watch me, or better yet, come back and read more.

This is a test blog to make sure I know what I'm doing this time. hehehe!

Here is a picture of The Fantastic Fords on our trip to the Grand Canyon in March 2011. This is a typical family picture - Timothy not looking at the camera!

My New Blog

Well, Katie talked me into it. I decided to start my own blog. Let's see how this works out. Be sure to check back here to keep up with the Ford's and my newest scrapbooking news!