1st day of preschool and more

We have kept pretty busy in the past month.  The day after all the Samuel cousins left for Dubai we went to a friend's B-day party at the bowling alley.  Noah especially had lots of fun trying to hold a bowling ball and let it go on the ramp.  We also went to look at a house in TeraVista afterwards but was disappointed because of it was currently being rented and not in good condition. 
On the 31st we took them to Gattiland for the first time and that was kind of fun and a little wild (for Round Rock.)  Not too many games for toddlers but they both had fun playing basketball, bowling, skee ball and much more.  The pizza was not so tasty but maybe that's because we're spoiled by Home Slice.
Joshua started his new preschool on Wed. Sept 4.  I didn't get any sleep the night before and according to my coworkers it happens to parents (specifically Moms) every year no matter how long the kids have been going to school.  Joshua didn't seem too anxious but I worried all day long.  Ms. Gwen is his teacher and his class is called Chili Dogs.  Don't ask me why.  Seriously, I don't know why.
I already like this school a lot since we get weekly emails about what they learned that week. 
On Fri., Steve and I left the kids with Mom and Dad and went to Houston to attend Vinod's wedding.  We got into Houston at 9:30 and had fun catching up with everyone that night.  The wedding was at Immanuel Church at 3:30 Sat. and we spent a lot of time at Town Center in Sugar Land leading up to the wedding.  We also visited Shormi and Masoud that morning.   The reception was held at Safari Ranch and we stayed there till a little after midnight.  Lots of fun times with our CPC crew and many more.
We came back to Austin Sunday around 1:00 after eating breakfast at a hard to find cafe in Sugar Land :)  The boys did well with Mom and Dad as expected.  Joshua slept in a sleeping bag next to their bed and Noah slept with them. 
We took them to see Sophie the train on the way home and they were pretty happy about that.
This past Fri Sept 13 we did our usual Fri night mall trip but this time we let Noah walk holding Steve's hand.  It was like letting a wild animal loose.  Noah was too excited to be given his newfound freedom at the mall.  Joshua had to round him up a couple of times and Noah did get a little overexcited at the Disney store but all in all he did good for his first nonstroller trip.
And Saturday we took them to their first Krispy Kreme experience.  Looks like there will be a lot of those in the future.   They both loved watching the doughnuts being made and Joshua got to pick his own (Chocolate sprinkles.)  Later that evening we took them to get ice cream at Amy's in the Arboretum and they sat on the cow statues.  Those were the same cows that I took a picture of Steve leaning against on one of our first dates in Austin 10 years ago.  Seems like the other day :)

Oh yeah - Happy 20th month B-day to my little Noah bear!

                                    Bethany's 2nd B-day party (9/1)

Family Fun

We celebrated Ethan's 6th B-day Thu. Aug. 15 with all the decorations, balloons, and of course an ice cream cake.  He must have had about 10 balloons taped to him.  Its always nice that Ethan is here on vacation during his B-day so we can all celebrate with him.

On Fri we fed the kids and gave them baths early, put them in their pjs and went to East Austin for our trailer fest.  Betsy and I along with the kids stayed in our cars while Steve and Scott went into Eastside Kings and ordered food.  I've always wanted to try Paul Qui's trailer and I thought our food was pretty good.  Then we were off to Gourdough's doughnuts.  Joshua fell asleep before we got to Eastside Kings but Noah didn't fall asleep till Gourdough's.

On Sat., we took the kids to Mayfield Park with the peacocks.  Then we headed to Ms. P's Electric Cock (fried chicken)  and then Coolhaus for ice cream sandwiches.  We were all pretty tired by the time we got home.
We went to church Sun. morning and that afternoon Steve, Joshua, Scott, Ethan, and Mia went to see Planes the movie.  It was Joshua's first movie in a theater.  Betsy and Eva came over as Noah and I got dinner ready for the family.  Mom and Dad joined us that evening for BBQ, all the sides, and apple pie.

Steve and I took off work Mon and Tue and we all headed to Hamilton Pool in Dripping Springs.  I've always heard this a must see in the Austin area and now I know why.  It was a 50 minute drive but well worth it.  You'll see the pic below.  Noble Pig sandwiches for lunch.

On Tue we went to Portrait Innovations for pics and then headed to Bull Creek Park where we met Abby.  From there we hiked up the cliff overlooking the Pennybacker Bridge where Steve got interviewed about whether there should be a guard rail since a guy fell off the cliff that morning.  We were on the 5:00 KXAN news.  We then headed to Waterloo for lunch and of course, Gourdough's ( the restaurant) for doughnuts.

On Thu. we celebrated my birthday with Pei Wei and what else - ice cream cake (toffee.)  Pretty delicious.

I feel like this year we were able to get out and see Austin and spend quality time with everyone.  We had lots of laughs, good conversation, and good food.  Joshua and Noah still say Ethan, Mia, and Eva's name all the time and I really think they got to know their cousins in these past 2 weeks.   
Enjoy the pics!!

                                                   Mayfield Park

                                             Hamilton Pool

 

                                            Bull Creek Park

                                    Hike up the cliff

                                   Overlooking the Bridge

                                  Steve's 10 seconds of fame

 

Welcome Christian Michael Varghese!

On July 16 we welcomed into the world Christian Michael Varghese.  He was 5 days past his due date and even with being induced he still wasn't born till late Tue. evening.  He must have Sunil's stubbornness. :)   
Of course, we went to Dallas that weekend and was able to see him on Sat the 20th.  Joshua was very excited about meeting Christian because he loves babies.  Noah glanced at him a couple of times.  He was so precious and cute.  He slept in my arms most of the time we were there.  He reminded me of how I love love love infants.  Can't wait to see baby Christian grow and interact with his cousins!  Such an exciting time for Sunil and Julie! 

Subin arrived in Dallas on Wed. July 31 from Germany.  His 3 year commitment was finally over with one deployment to Afghanistan.  For now he will remain in the States - South Carolina for a 1yr assignment in Sumter.  We went to Dallas Aug 2 and had his Welcome Home/Happy 33rd B-day party on Sat.  All our family in Dallas came that evening and it was so nice for everyone to visit with him and properly welcome him home.

We were unsure if we would even be able to go to Dallas that weekend because Joshua suffered his 3rd seizure on Tue July 30 at Mom and Dad's house and was hospitalized for a couple of hours.  He bounced back quickly but not before Noah also got sick.  Thankfully, by Friday they were on the road to recovery.

The Samuel family arrived in Austin Sun, Aug 11 after spending a week in FL.  Joshua was very excited about their visit and had a list of all the things he wanted to do with them.  Ethan and Mia are almost the same exact height with Mia looking so mature for her age.  Eva is adorable and quiet.  It's going to be fun getting reacquainted with the kids. 
Joshua was able to cross off #1 on his list:  Sophie the train.  And to think we did that on Sun.
Except for Noah and I, everyone else went to Top Golf on Mon morning and apparently had a great time.  We later went to  Rock and River Aquatic Center in the afternoon and got the kids tired out (us too!)  It was a pretty fun time.
Unfortunately, we won't see them again till Ethan's B-day on Thu.  But there's still more fun to be had!

 

Leaps and bounds

This past month Noah has expanded his vocabulary by leaps and bounds.  My 17 month old is now able to say so many words such as:  shirt, pants, change, brush, paste, glass, cup, sleep.  He can also say 2 words together,  his favorite being "hold me."  He has even made up words for the difficult ones he can't say yet such as "bo doh dohs" for vegetables and "sonin" for lotion. Medicine is "simisin." He says those words very adamantly like we are mispronouncing the words and he is saying them correctly.  He has a fiery personality and is very rambunctious and unyielding to any sort of danger.  No fear whatsoever in that child - except when he hears a vacuum and that still sets him off.

We've had a busy month.  Joshua and Noah got sick the first week of June and were both on antibiotics for ear infections.  Joshua started Stepping Stone at TeraVista on Fri June 14 and has continued for the MWF program.  I had to travel to Dallas on the 14th for my friend's mother's funeral at the Luna church.  I went back to Dallas the following weekend for my cousin Mili's baby shower.  Both weekends I traveled solo and that was an experience.  I came back on that Sat. each time.  Missed the kids and needed to relieve Steve :)  Joshua and Noah enjoyed giving their card and a T-shirt to Steve on Father's Day.  I think Steve enjoyed a relaxing Sunday with the family.  We had Mom and Dad over for Pokejo's lunch. 

We had baby Teagan, Dave, and Siji come visit us on the 28th with it being Teagan's first time in Austin.  Joshua really enjoyed having her around since he loves babies (she is now 10 months old.)  In his words, "I will protect her."  We did have 2 eating out adventures : Mighty Fine and Chuy's.  Our only outing was the mall and church.  How are lives have changed. :)

Though I had to work on July 4th, Steve and the kids ran errands and relaxed at home.  I picked up Rudy's after work.  Note to self:  Never go to Rudy's on the 4th again.  Horrendous line - what was I thinking?  (But still was worth the 30 minute wait)  We fed the kids early and then went to the Elizabeth Milburn Park to walk around and look at all the festivities.  We still made it home by 7:45.  Steve and I watched the fireworks from our driveway after the kids went to bed.

Shormi and Masoud came up on the 5th and spent the weekend with us without their kids.  We went down to Town Lake on Sat and they went kayaking as well as Steve and Joshua.  It was Joshua's first time on a kayak and I was a little nervous but he did fine.  It was extremely hot - the high was 103.  He was excited at first but by the time Steve rowed in 30 minutes later he was tired and hot.  Noah and I stayed back on the dock in the shade.
We went to Oasis later that night and had a nice dinner overlooking Lake Travis.

Joshua had picked a bed out from Ikea months ago and it took us this long to get it set up in Joshua's room.  The crib is finally out but we didn't know where to really put it since Noah is still sleeping with us.  So now its disassembled in the garage!  Joshua slept in the bed last night with him calling for Steve around 1 am.  However, he kept talking about how comfortable it is.  His poor crib mattress was pretty firm so he just loves his bed.

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of baby Christian whose due date was July 11.  Poor Julie!   Induction is scheduled for July 16.  We are continuously praying for Julie, Sunil, and precious little Christian.  Can't wait to go to Dallas next weekend!

Subin will be coming to Dallas at the end of this month after his long 3 year commitment to Germany is complete.  Within that 3 years, my brother survived a deployment to Afghanistan.  We are so thankful that he will have a state assignment in South Carolina.  So much happening in July!

                                                  Father's Day

                                              No caption needed

                                            The boys loved Teagan

                                                   July 4th

                                                  Before

                                                    After