Dinner with the Relle's

Friday night was dinner with our neighbors and then Saturday night was dinner with the Relles. I made a little play area for the boys in the living room which worked well. We had the whole night planned: let Jack and Nate play a little, eat dinner, play a little more, then put them both to bed so that we could have some of our own fun playing Texas Hold 'Em. Well, it seemed that the "play" part was the only thing that went according to our plan!


They did pretty well during dinner, but neither one ate as much as their mommies would have liked. Nathan spent his time talking and yelling and Jack spent his time laughing at us...actually I think he was mocking Wayne!


After dinner, we got them ready for bed and let them play a little longer.


"Anyone want leather for dessert?"


The walker is always a big hit. When these two are playing together, it's every man for himself. Jack likes to go, no matter who or what is in his path :) But then Nathan took it over which hurt Jack's feelings, so I guess they're even.


After playing in the living room, we put them in the pack and play (Jack's bed for the night).


"Let's get this party started with a little lullaby music."


"Jack, I have a music request too."


"Jack, your mommy is so funny!"
"Nathan, stop laughing so we can get out and play with the REAL toys!"


"Ok, you two, we had our fun in the cage, stop taking pictures and let us out."


"Helloooooo, we're serious, this isn't fun anymore!"


We eventually got both boys to bed (after lots of tears). Nathan ended up falling asleep after Wayne rocked him, but Jack just wasn't ready to be away from the party. So he stayed up with us and got to have all the attention he wanted...which I loved because we're buddies! Although we didn't get to our poker playing, we had a great time getting together.


This is Nathan the next morning in his new red jammies with cars. He looks so cute in red!


And he is loving that Mommy and Daddy haven't baby proofed the cabinets.


There's nothing like a good game of hide and seek!
"Mommy will never find me in here."

Happy Fourth of July!

We spent the Fourth with our next door neighbors, Dan and Haewon, and their little boy, Reece. Dan grilled the best steaks and sweet potatoes (I ate every last bite). And for dessert, we had chocolate fondue with strawberries, angel food cake, bananas, apples, and marshmallows! Needless to say, we were all stuffed!

Here is sweet little Reece!


Nathan and Reece had so much fun playing together, and now that Reece is on the move, they were all over the place!


Reece is learning how to drink from his sippy cup so Nathan was his little teacher to show him how it's done.


We don't have stairs in our house, but Nathan has learned how to climb up them from Gymboree. And boy does he love it! I got my exercise from chasing after him. He'd play on the floor a bit and then head back to the stairs.


After dinner, the guys got in a few games on the Wii.


And look who wanted to get in on the action!


"Daddy, let's have a little bonding time."


"Ok, that's enough...back to the stairs!"

Thanks Dan and Haewon for a fun night!!!

Swimming Party

Nathan was invited to a swimming party last week with a few of his friends. We played inside for a while and then changed into our swimsuits and headed to the backyard where Luke showed off his cool new pool!

After playing in the big pool for a while, the babies headed to the "hot tub."

And then we hung out on the patio for snack time. I love it when we go swimming because even though it doesn't seem like Nathan is using a ton of energy, he always takes the longest naps! He slept for 2 1/2 hours when we got home!

The Parnell Family Reunion

Last Thursday we took a road trip to Hot Springs Arkansas for the annual Parnell Family Reunion. We were so excited to take Nathan this year to show him off. Wayne has such a large family that there were lots of kids for Nathan to play with and so many people to give him the attention he loves!

Nathan with his cousins, Landon, Logan, and Lexa (crawling away).

Nathan with Uncle Stuart (Wayne's brother). "This is my very own toothbrush Uncle Stu."

"Oooooh, you kids are getting a bit rowdy."

Grandmother was such a lifesaver on the trip. She loved watching her sweet grandchildren while we socialized. We even got to sleep in!

Tiffany, my sister-in-law with Nathan and Lexa.

On Friday, we went to a beach area for Nathan to play in the sand and swim.

He loved touching the sand and digging his hands and feet into it. I was happily surprised that he didn't try to eat it...although he did try to eat a few sticks and leaves :)

"Ok Mommy, I won't splash you anymore."

Me, Nathan, and Aunt Carrie

After a day of swimming, Carrie, Tiffany, and I took the babies into Hot Springs for lunch and to walk around the downtown. Obviously, this was a long day for you know who.

With a double stroller, we got lots of sweet looks. I think everyone thought they were twins. They're pretty close to it...only 3 days apart!

Nate woke up as soon as we got to lunch. Our little one never misses a meal! He and Lexa just talked back and forth during lunch and even shared snacks! That's Nathan's new thing, he likes to hand his food out :)

What was really nice about the house we stayed in was that there was a huge downstairs living area. This was designated as the "Kid Zone." Nathan always had plenty of attention and plenty of kids to play with.

This is actually one of the quieter times. Normally the living room had toys and kids EVERYWHERE!

Aunt Carrie and Nathan relaxing before bedtime.

To end the weekend, Saturday night was our family auction. This is only the 2nd time we've done it, but it was a huge success. Everyone brings items whether they're family heirlooms or sports memorabilia, or just anything that someone else may want. We bid on the items and then any money made goes towards next year's reunion.

Here's a group shot of most of us getting ready to start the bidding.

Darien, was our auctioneer, and was a real pro! He can even do the fast talking! We laughed and laughed during this time because we would bid on a few items and then Darien would stop to tell a funny family story. My mouth was so sore afterwards from laughing and smiling!

We had so much fun, and I am so lucky to be part of such a wonderful and loving family.