More Stories

Finally uploaded some pictures earlier today. I've realized that things occur in small increments these days! We had the opportunity to take Matthew to the beach in Port Aransas, TX for the first time during the Fourth of July weekend. The first picture I took of him, I caught a smile! I was ecstatic! Martin has certainly grown up on the beach. Seeing him on this trip brought back memories of early last summer when he shuddered at the idea of going near the water. This summer, he has had many opporunities to be a beach bum and now he loves the water and waves. He also learned the art of "throwing mudballs." The last trip was without fishing and I think he was a bit confused about it. He LOVES to fish thanks to his experiences with Grandpa and he has even caught a couple this summer. He has learned that the small ones need to get bigger before we can keep them because we only eat the big ones. YUM! Today's funny story: We went to an indoor park with large jump houses with our friends Aidan, Finn, and baby Addison (and mommies: Andrea, Katie S. and Katie H.) Later on he told me that he was roaring at all of the kids in the jump houses because he had on his Dinosaur shirt that said, "ROAR!" I can see it now, and it makes me chuckle. He also said that his "Lightning McQueen" socks made him run "super fast" and he burned everyone because they have flames on the heels. Funny stuff that you just can't make up, isn't it?

The boys

I can't believe it, but summer is halfway over with only about 5 weeks left! We have certainly had our ups and downs with learning our new way of life, but it has been a blast so far! Martin is 3 1/2 and showing it every day. Matthew is now 11 weeks old, and feels like he weighs a ton! They are both growing way to fast right before my very eyes! We had the opportunity to spend last week with my brother and his family (the kids and I) because our AC went out. Unfortunately, Marty had to be in Austin for work, but thanks to some wonderful friends, he didn't have to sweat it out. Martin had a BLAST with his cousins Joseph and Angelina. He spend lots of time in "the little pool" and played himself silly. He and Angelina even managed to get themselves into a little bit of trouble, and my brother and I now refer to them as "The Littles." Let's just say I should help him foot the bill for a good carpet cleaning! :) Matthew continues to grow and meet new milestones everyday! He is cooing like crazy, which is a nice sound to hear other than a cry. He has the greatest smile and it's a lovely feeling to see it brought on by his big brother so easily. They are already forming an amazing bond! I can see that Matthew loves watching Martin and Martin loves playing with Matthew. I often say that Martin loves him so much, that he loves him a little "hard" sometimes and must be reminded of "gentle" love for his brother. Matthew is also really beginning to enjoy his baby toys and has managed to hit and grab them a few times. He also LOVES his yummy left had. 99% of the time, it's the left one in his mouth which leaves us wondering if he'll inherit Grandma Chapa's lefty. . .she'd LOVE it! Well, back to the boys for now but we'll have more stories soon! :)