Vacation...for the kids

Last Friday my mom and aunt took both kids plus my cousin's twin girls to Galveston for the week. So far they are having a blast. Haley doesn't like the waves hitting her but loves the swimming pool and just hanging out with the girls. Jackson took his first dip in the swimming pool and LOVES it. I figured since the little guy goes crazy with excitement as soon as he hears the bath water starting. He is going to be a fish just like Haley.
It's been quiet at our house but Matt and I are trying to stay busy taking care of things we can't do when the kids are around. On Saturday we finally painted Haley's room purple. She is going to be so excited when she gets home! She picked out the color from several swatches and so did I, not knowing Haley picked that same color :) While we miss the kids terribly, it's nice to have some couple time. We haven't had this much couple time since Haley was born. Good thing we get a teaser tomorrow and get to see the kids at Haley's end of the year school program. I'm not sure if it's just my personality or being a parent, but I'm nervous to watch her on stage! I want her to do so good and not be afraid when she is up there. She did wonderful during the Christmas program so I shouldn't be so nervous.

Here's a few pictures from a couple of weekends ago...

Haley getting on her glasses to help Daddy in the yard

Ready to help now Daddy

Silly girl

Jackson loves eating lately. Here he is gobbling down some carrots. Yum Yum.

Fun times, Vara style

Finally, I'm happy to report we are all 100% healthy again! Jackson had a nasty stomach bug for over a week. Poor guy ended up losing 1/2 a pound but now is quickly gaining that back. He has started sleeping through the night again too. I'm happy about that because it was extra hard getting up at 3am to feed him since he had been sleeping good prior to the bug. While Haley came down with a fever she never got the dreaded bug. Whew.
Now on to fun stuff. A couple of weeks ago we did our annual pictures in the bluebonnets. The patch we always hit up in Montgomery wasn't quite as good this year but we can't complain. Jackson was still under the weather so he didn't want to participate much as you can see from the pictures.

Haley holding Jackson while he is deciding which flower to eat

Pretty Princess Haley

What a big girl

Haley had fun playing in the stream holding her beloved Tiger hostage. Not sure what he did to deserve this threat but he came out dry :)

I pulled out Haley's old walker and Jackson has taken a liking to it. He loves to chew on the toys. It's so funny. He'll eye the bear, have a stare down with it, then try to eat it. He can really get the walker to move on the wood floors.

Unlike Grandma's walker built for giants, Jackson can actually reach the ground in this one.

Sometimes you just have to get out of the house. We took the kids to Market Street one day after work. We sat out at the fountains and enjoyed Pot Belly, yum yum. It was a little cool this day but Haley didn't mind. Jackson was checking out the water too....


You knew what was going to happen next! Jackson got a mouthful.

Most weekdays we find fun things to do around the house with the kids. Haley loves to go to the park or swing in the backyard. Haley found some of her older ride on toys and the perfect racetrack! ZOOM ZOOM

Switching out cars, same result...lots of fun.

To burn off extra energy she pushes me around.

While Haley is racing down the hall upstairs, Jackson is busy in the game room working on sitting up. Not bad for just turning 5 months old.

And when he's tired of sitting we work on tummy time...

and carpet swimming

After all that workout Jackson needs a snack. I think roasted duck is on the menu

Every once in awhile I start to feel crafty. This weekend I took the kids to Hobby Lobby. I'm making Jackson a sign for his room and I let Haley pick out whatever she wanted to paint. She picked out a birdhouse. She also picked out all sorts of colors to paint it. So off with the clothes, covered the table outside, and I let the artist come alive. She is very careful painting.

This was about two seconds before she started to paint her hand with all that blue paint on the brush. I couldn't figure out why she painted her hand then remembered all the art projects she does at school with her hand print. So off to the water hose we went for a scrub down.

Her finished product. Beautiful! It's perched on a tree waiting for it's first visitor.

Haley and Matt also had their first dip in the pool this weekend. It was quite cold so she didn't last long. We turned on the spa and she enjoyed that much better. Can't wait for it to warm up a little more. Have a great week!!

Easter 2010

Easter festivities started off with a bang this year. On Wednesday Haley had an Easter Egg hunt at school and had a blast. Fast forward to Friday. Wouldn't you know I work for the only bank in the US that has to work on Good Friday but that's ok. Matt did some much needed maintenance work outside on his day off and we had our furniture delivered! Our house is starting to look more and more like a home finally. We decided to get in our Easter service early by going to the Friday evening service. Prior to service they had a large egg hunt for the kids. Haley was excited to get her hunt on and this was Jackson's first.

Haley planning out her strategy


Mommy and her precious babies


Jackson excited to get his hunt on (or excited that he just spit up?)


They split the hunts off by age group which was nice. Haley and Jackson were together in the birth to 2 year old group. Haley took full advantage of being on of the older kids for once.
Ready, Set, GO!!!

Jackson getting in on the action.

The Vara Family Easter 2010

Haley was very nice to fill Jackson's basket too! Grandma and Uncle John joined us for the hunt and service and afterwards we went for dinner. After a nice evening we had a big day planned for Saturday. Just when you have big plans something happens. Turns out I got food poisoning and was SICK in bed all day Saturday. I'll spare all the details but I've figured one way of shedding all the baby weight is to just get sick. Matt had double kid duty all day but luckily I started to feel better by Easter Sunday. On Sunday we were invited to another egg hunt put on by the neighbors at the park followed by an Easter Brunch at a neighbor's house. It was nice to finally get to meet everyone!

The Purple Slate kids lined up by age getting ready to get the eggs. Haley was first

And their off...

Haley's trying to figure out how to get an egg at the top of the rock wall

Jackson was just watching this hunt

The Easter Egg Hunt Kids

We then headed up to Grandma's for Easter dinner with the family. Grandma had Easter baskets for the kids and yet another egg hunt for Haley. Yes, that is #4.

Uncle Mark helping Haley with the egg hunt

After finding all her eggs Haley wanted to go swimming. It was quite cold but that didn't stop her.

Kendall stopped by to say Hi. Haley LOVES Kendall and got so excited when she got there. When it was time to leave we told Haley to give Kendall a hug goodbye. Haley made her stand in the water first then gave her a hug.

After a delicious meal we colored Easter Eggs.

I'm so glad my mom had Easter eggs to color and baskets for the kids. Since I was sick on Saturday I didn't get around to doing that this year with the kids :( Who says you can't get an Easter basket after Easter? Maybe it will be a, "YAY it's Springtime" basket instead. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.

Haleyisims

This week we tried to take advantage of daylight savings by going to the park after dinner. In case we forget where it is, Haley kindly reminds us which way to go to get there. She likes to swing really high and wants Jackson on the swing next to her.



Apparently I don't make her go high enough so she always asks for Daddy to push her higher


Jackson doesn't go as high but I think he is fine with it. He loves his swing at home so why should the park swing be any different? Hey there....this is fun!


After so much fun at the park the kids crash pretty hard. I've been pretty late to work lately and it's easy to see why. This is the scene in the morning about 5 minutes before we should be leaving. Jackson managed to get his clothes on before falling back asleep and all Haley did was turn around in the bed. It always looks like a bomb went off in our house in the mornings :)

Haley has been asking for some crazy dinners lately. Usually M&Ms and Popsicles. The other day she wanted it for breakfast too. The mean parents we are don't let her get her way always so she just has to settle for Popsicles for dessert. Say Cheese...

Jackson tried out a new toy this week, the jumper! Haley LOVED this toy and Jackson does too. Can you tell by the smile on his face?

And the person that lights up Jackson's face the most is his big sister Haley. Anytime she comes around he has a huge smile on his face. She loves him too. She's trying to teach him about the piano on his toy and it's hard to tell but Jackson is smiling away.

Boy I love this toy!!!

Everyday Haley makes us laugh so hard. Here are a few of the Haleyisims from the past few weeks:

Episode 1

While at Little Gym Haley tells me she has to go potty. Yes!! So we rush to the potty and when we come back in a little girl was put in "time out" by her mom and was crying. Haley was trying to figure out what was going on and told her, "Shut it!". Whew, good thing the little girl or her mom didn't hear. Hmmm, wonder where she got that from, daddy?? Oops.

Episode 2

We had gone to the store to get Haley's big girl mattress and Jackson a high chair. When we pulled into the driveway Matt said to me, "We forgot to get garage door opener". Haley replied back, "Oh damn it!" I asked her what she said and she repeated it. We quickly changed the subject. I guess the positive is she used it in the proper context?!?

Episode 3

Jackson was playing on the floor minding his own business and Haley comes over after her bath. She gives him a little kick and I told her that isn't nice and don't do it again. Well she did so I told her to tell him "I'm sorry." She refused and instead asked, "Can I just go to bed". The answer was no and after standing in the corner she finally told her brother "I'm sorry". It was pretty funny. She's learned how to beat the system already, oh boy!

Episode 4

We have fun names for both kids. I usually call Haley, Haley Bailey and Jackson either Buddy or Jacky Wacky. Everytime I tell Jackson, "Hey buddy," Haley always says, "His name's not Buddy, It's Jackson." Makes us laugh.

And finally...

Today I was changing her diaper and she kept saying, "Matt." I asked her, "who is Matt?" She responded, Daddy. I then asked, "what's my name?" Her answer, "Rose". I LOVE HER!! She thinks I'm Sleeping Beauty and I'm a princess:)

While our days are very long and sometimes hectic, we are having a blast. We're so blessed to have these two awesome kids!

Doctor, doctor, doctor...again?

I think I had a post like this the other month but yet again we have had a couple of weeks full of doctor appointments. First up was Ms. Haley. Haley was born with a small flesh colored birthmark on her face that we have had looked at before by a dermatologist. He had said it was not a big deal but her pediatrician wanted us to get it checked out by a specialist just in case it should be dealt with now instead of waiting until she is older. So after a two month wait for our appointment, last week she saw a pediatric dermatologist at Texas Childrens down in the medical center. Being down there makes you realize how lucky you are to have healthy children. I just kept thinking of The Kirkham's and what miracle work is done at that hospital. My mom was going to watch Jackson but it turned out she got sick so I had to take both kids. Luckily they were really good. As for Haley, after a hour and a half wait, we finally saw the dermatologist who is also the head of the department. She was really nice and confirmed the diagnosis the previous dr. gave us. Haley has a very small Nevus Sebaceous on her cheek. She recommended that IF we wanted to take it off one day, definitely have a plastic surgeon do it and no matter what there would likely be a small scar. She also confirmed there is no rush to take it off and it will likely just grow with her so we don't have to worry about it growing huge overnight. Now I'm not so sure we will get it taken off? I guess when Haley gets older we will let her make that decision. No follow up needed! One doctor down.

On Monday it was Jackson's turn. He had his 4 month checkup. Wow, I can't believe my little man is 4 months. He is hitting all his milestones and is doing great. He is growing like a weed and is charting perfectly. Turns out Jackson has a lot of ear wax, so much so the doctor had to use a special tool to get it all out but Jackson didn't flinch :) Despite the excessive ear wax his ears look perfect, whew. He was having a bout with "the runs" so we skipped one vaccine but we'll catch up next time. The dr. said unfortunately a stomach bug is going around and it just has to run its course. Luckily he is already over it after passing it on to Haley. He also gets to start solids! I love this stage watching the kids try different foods and really seeing their personality come out. Guess it's time to get the little guy a high chair.

Here are Jackson's 4 month stats:
Weight: 13 lbs 13.3 ozs 25-50%
Height: 24 1/8 inches 10-25%
Head: 16 1/2 inches 25-50%

And since I took both my kids to the doctor, I decided it was my turn. Well, not really but my body decided for me. I ended up staying home from work with the flu on Friday. As I was laying in bed waiting for my mom to come get the kids, Haley asked what was wrong. I told her mommy is sick and doesn't feel well. Haley then proceeded to go into the bathroom and bring me a big band aid. How sweet :) I told her thank you for taking care of mama. Oh how I wish that would have worked. I started to feel better over the weekend and then WHAM, the pollen came and knocked me out for the rest of the week. I ended up going to the doctor and was diagnosed with a sinus infection and double ear infection. No fun. Finally after over a week of being sick I'm feeling better. As Matt so kindly reminded me a few times this week, "you are a mother of 2, you can't be sick."

Finally, this week Grandma and Grandpa Vara and Uncle Michael came to visit. I have enjoyed the extra help since I haven't been 100% and I know the kids have enjoyed playing with grandma and grandpa. Hopefully the weather clears up on Sunday so we can do something fun!!

Here's a few pictures from these past two weeks.

Daddy classically eating a juicy steak and feeding Jackson at the same time.

Cowgirl Haley with her new cowboy hat Matt and I got her from the Rodeo.

Haley feeding Jackson

Jackson decided Haley was too slow and his bib tasted better

Jackson laughing.

Settling in

We are finally starting to settle into our new place. I'm already tired of looking at boxes but luckily we only have a few more to go. Jackson's room is almost done and is looking cute in the firetruck theme. Just need a few things on the wall. We started putting him in his crib this weekend and he has done pretty good. He slept through the night twice but woke up at 2am last night for a feeding. I think he knows it is a work night? I keep telling myself he is waking up to tell me how much he loves me. Luckily he goes right back to sleep once he has some formula. I was looking through Haley's baby book and she was sleeping from 8:30 - 6:30 at two months and never reverted back. I keep telling myself one day Jackson too will sleep consistently through the night. He just wants to keep his track record of keeping us on our toes. I would expect nothing less from our little guy :)
Jackson hanging out in his crib


Haley's big girl bed comes in this Friday. Grandma Vara already bought her princess bedding and I can't wait to get her room in order. Along with that I hope she starts sleeping in her own bed again. The move has been tough on her so I'm sure the transition will take a little while. I'm prepared! We are also going to start potty training. Yesterday she was wearing a dress and took off her diaper two times and said she was wet. She knows what to do on the potty, she just doesn't want to do it. We've tried the sticker reward but that was a bust. She loves M&Ms so we're going to try that reward next. Two kids in diapers is too much. Looking forward to a pay raise if we get her potty trained :) Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Friday night we went over to a friend's house for a get together. It was so much fun hanging out with other couples and actually having a family social life. Haley loved playing with the other kids, so much so she cried when we had to leave. I felt so bad but it was already 10:30 and I figured we better get her to bed soon. She didn't even make it out of the subdivision before crashing in the car. Jackson was worn out too. He didn't wake until 6:30 the next morning.

And finally, I leave you with a funny Haley story. I've put all her cups, spoons and plates in a bottom drawer because she likes to pick them out each day. Well yesterday she took out several spoons and began counting. She counted to 5 in Spanish perfectly! Matt and I looked at each other amazed and puzzled because we had never heard her even try to count in Spanish. Then she changed over to English and counted again, 1, 16, 13, 9. Seems like Dora is great at teaching Spanish but her English needs some work. Maybe Seasame Street every once in awhile?? Silly girl. She makes us laugh so much everyday. We are so blessed to have two great kids.

Jackson checking out the bumbo chair (or bimbo chair as Matt calls it). We're still trying to decide who he looks like? One day when we get our scanner hooked up we'll upload both our baby pictures.


Haley watching Sleeping Beauty. No doubt who she looks like. I think the only thing she got from me is her hair color :)

Sibling love and Jackson giving his best deer in the headlights look. He does that a lot in pictures.

Hopefully as we get into our routine I'll keep the blog up to date more. Hey, I can hope. Have a great week!