Sam Houston Jones State Park

Yesterday was a nice day so we took the boys and went to a state park about 20 minutes north of where we live. The trails weren't stroller friendly so we just walked along the road that went around a pond/swamp area. James loved watching the people and cars; Andrew slept. Here are a few pics of the wildlife at the park.

A little lizard that scared me half to death. It was only about 4 inches long, but it was fast and it scurried away right in front of me.
There were lots of turtles hanging out on logs and such in the middle of the pond. They're weren't any up close to see.

This is the closest I got to a turtle...it was about 30 feet away.

I get shivers just looking at this one. Thankfully, it was the only snake I saw.

There were lots of ducks and a few geese-like birds. Then there was this one...not quite sure what he is, but he let us get up close to take a picture.

No alligator sightings, but there were lots of signs warning you to be careful because they could be in the area. :)

18 Month Photo Montage

At the zoo...
That tiger was awesome!

Standing and playing at the couch.

This is the best shot I have of James on all fours. It doesn't happen very often yet.

Reading while standing.

My kids must have sugar coated fingers :)

Watching Daddy feed the coots.

Watching the coots at Lake Charles (where my memory card now lives...sigh)

Ready, set, go!

The bigger the slide the better!

Again Mommy!

Playing on the patio with Daddy...James likes to watch the cars go by.

James' New Trick

Hungry Man!

James loves to eat. Here is a picture and video of him hollering because the food is not appearing in front of him fast enough. Then he realizes that he has milk and that makes it okay for a minute :)

The Facts...

Andrew- 4 months

• 14 pounds 8 ounces (36%) ...up 4 lbs. 4 oz. from 2 months
• 25 1/4 inches long ...up 3 inches from 2 months
• 16 1/2 inches head circumference ...still small, but growing :)
• Has rolled over from tummy to back and back to tummy
• Holding his head up like a pro
• Loves his doorway bouncy seat :)
• Smiles and coos all the time!

James - 18 months

• 25 pounds 8 ounces (46%) ...amazing weight gain because he was down in the 10th percentile when he had pneumonia in December
• 31 inches long
• 18.5 inch head circumference ...deceptively small because he has a bit of an odd shaped head :)
• Sitting all by himself
• Will stand at the couch and play with toys on the couch ...not pulling up yet
• Pauses in the crawl position when he transitions from laying to sitting for a few seconds...he even rocked on his hands and needs for about 2 seconds earlier this week!
• Had a cold at the end of January, but he fought it off all on his own and it didn't turn into anything serious :)

The 18 month mark seems to be an exciting time for James. Look for several posts in the next few days with a few videos and lots of photos of this little guy that has grown up a lot in the last few months!

The Gulf

Yesterday Dave and I loaded up the boys and a picnic lunch and drove ourselves down to the Gulf. It's about a 45 minute drive from where we live now. Driving south we winded around fields and water. Sometimes one side of the road would be water and the other side would be cow (steer) pastures; other times it was mostly water on both sides. It reminded me of driving around the countryside where Eric and Abby used to live in Maryland. If feels like the ocean is just creeping in and it could take over at any moment. Of course, at Holly Beach, where we were driving, the ocean often does take over. Wikipedia said the houses there are "built to be re-built." And the sewer system includes about a half dozen porta-potties because no permanent option is available. None the less, it was a beautiful beach, with no oil in sight. There were shells everywhere. I can just imagine the boys running up and down the beach, playing in the water and collecting shells. It makes me happy and excited to know that both our boys will learn to walk while we're living here. We ended up eating our picnic lunch in the car because it was a tad cooler than we expected with the breeze coming off the water. It was still nice to get out and see the local sights, so to speak. Enjoy a few photos from our day!

James and Dave checking out the endless water.

Andrew was still waking up from the car ride...and I am finally fitting into my pre-prego jeans again!!!
Pretty skies and handsome boys. ...See the house on stilts off to the left?!

My first alligator sighting...just a sign :)

Andrew is 4 Months

Andrew was 4 months old yesterday. He's a good boy for the most part, although he's still not on a very good schedule. The move last week messed up his days and nights but we've finally got those straightened out again (I hope). He eats when he wants and sleeps when we can convince him he's tired...he'd prefer to cry over actually falling asleep :) He's growing and drooling on everything. He soaks through multiple bibs everyday and usually his shirt too. He is showing interest in toys, books, and TV these days and prefers to play with mommy or daddy as opposed to by himself. He likes to play with big brother too, but James mostly just takes toys away from him. We're hoping to get him into his new pediatrician next week for his check-up, but we have some we have to get our new insurance squared away first. Unlike his stoic big brother, Andrew smiles easily and often. I think the brothers are going to compliment each other well and get along great as they grow up together. Here are a few pics of Andrew on his 4-month birthday...

Sitting in his Bumbo. Although he is in a hurry to sit on his own.

Laughing and playing with mommy while she takes pictures.

Playing with letter links in his bouncy.

Bouncing and weight-bearing in his bouncy.

On a side note, the drive down to Louisiana was uneventful. The boys (and Oliver) did better than we expected them to. Every hour we drove it got warmer until it hit 70 degrees when we were in Mississippi. We are staying in temporary housing but have found a brand new apartment complex with large 3 bedroom apartments. We're excited about it! I hope all of you are staying warm up North and aren't snowed in. We actually had some temperatures below freezing here this week and it caused the schools to close for a couple days. It's supposed to be in the 60s tomorrow...come and visit if you need a break from the cold :)