Pictures with Santa & Daddy's 35th Birthday!

On Daddy's birthday, we decided to take the boys for their pictures with Santa.  Both boys have always done great with Santa, so I had no doubt they would do just as great this year and......sure enough, they did!!  Cooper was so intrigued by the jolly ol' fat guy with a white beard that is was tough trying to get him to look straight for a picture. He wasn't scared of him at all, just really interested in "Ho Ho Ho"...as he calls him! Evan was busy telling him exactly what he wanted for Christmas (a robot), while Santa was quizzing him about what he thought his reindeer ate. They had a great time with him. We even got a pretty good one of Santa and my 2 adorable boys, but since I don't have an electronic copy of it, you'll just have to take my word for it.....not that I'm biased or anything!!  I did manage to get a few shots of the 2 of them afterwards (of course, not together!) in their precious shirts and ties!  After pictures, since they'd done so well, they were treated with a fun ride on this big merry-go-round they have in the mall and then some fun playtime in the play area next to it! 

After naptime, Boss decided it was time to give E's bike (that he was no where close to fitting on last year) another try this year!  It was still a little too big and the concept of peddling forward and not backward was still a bit foreign to him, but he had a great time acting like a big boy on a bike while Boss pushed him along.  I'm sure with just a little more practice this summer, he'll have the whole tricycle thing down! 

Let's go faster, Boss!

I do better peddling backwards!

Of course, Coop had to be right there cheering on his big brother!

Later that evening, we treated Daddy to dinner out at Chili's.  I know we swore we would never eat at a Chilis again since that is one of the only western food places we eat at here ALL the time....but my mom had a gift certificate she wanted to use, so we decided another time would be alright!  The boys LOVE the chips and salsa so they didn't mind one bit!  When we got back home, we had some yummy ice cream cake and sang Happy Birthday to Daddy! 

Happy Birthday, Daddy!  We love you so very much and are so thankful to have such a terrific daddy!  We appreciate all your hard work and even more the fact that you ALWAYS make special time for us no matter what!  We couldn't ask for a better Daddy! You are the best! 

Trying for a family picture prior to dinner...

Happy Birthday to Daddy!  Wish I'd gotten more pictures of the red icing all over the faces...that was fun cleaning up!

After dinner....and still trying for that family picture...nope, it's not going to happen!

Cooper's 1st dentist visit & Evan's 1st cleaning

Part of our yearly visits home always includes some sort of Dr appointment and this year was no exception. We took both the boys to the dentist – Cooper for his 1 year checkup to see how things were coming in and Evan to have his 1st cleaning. Both did amazing. Evan was so serious during the whole thing, but did awesome! I tried prepping him by telling him step by step what they were going to do and that he may gag when they did the cleaning - since he has this easy gag reflex anytime he doesn’t like something in his mouth. So when the hygienist did the initial check with one of those mirror things and told him to say “aahhh”, he did just as she said, but as soon as she was finished before she started the cleaning, he very quickly said “See Mom, I didn’t gag!” Yes, what a very good boy! Of course, towards the last part of the cleaning, he did start the gagging thing when they tried to get to the very back teeth…but they finished up quickly enough that it didn’t become an issue! Total success!

As for Cooper, I was so sure we weren’t even going to be able to hold him down while they looked in his mouth and wouldn’t you know it, he did just as great as his big brother…maybe him watching Evan go first made it look easy! He even gave the dentist a big “aahhhh” while he looked around - 16 teeth and they all looked great! He said the binkie wasn’t an issue yet with his teeth, but we are still ready to start getting rid of it!

Now we just hope all future visits go as well and that we get good reports at each and every one of them!  Great job boys!

All nice and shiny now!

And now it's Coop's turn!

Another good patient!

Our 1st Gingerbread House!

This year we also attempted our first gingerbread house and I’ll just say…. our dentist visit was a bit more successful! Not because of the boys, but I think the part Andrew and I were responsible for (the sticking together of the graham crackers) didn’t go so well. We started the project later in the evening and were pressed for time before bathtime/bedtime so we didn’t give it much time to dry before we let the boys start decorating, so the walls and roof kept sliding! Oh well, they could have cared less what it looked like! Cooper was more concerned with sneaking bites of the candy, but what he didn’t eat he did a great job with decorating his side! Of course Evan, the meticulous one, had to make sure every piece was just in the right place and got a bit perturbed when Cooper would try putting candy on his side! Thanks BeBe for getting it for us to make! It was a huge mess, but tons of fun!! It will definitely become a family Christmas tradition!

And let the messiness begin....

Such concentration

Let's be sure we get them on...just right!!!

One for me, one for the gingerbread house....one for me and one for the gingerbread house!

And finally, the finished product!  Not so bad for our first go at this whole gingerbread house thing!!

1st days in Texas and Jen & Connor visit!

Surprisingly we all seemed to adjust fairly quickly to the jet lag in the first few days back in Texas. The night we arrived we kept the boys up until after midnight and they slept until about 7am. Cooper actually napped the next day and got back into a routine fairly quickly….other than 2 -3 nights of waking up around 3am for about an hour. That jet lag really does kill you though. I think the boys adjusted much quicker than Andrew or I, come 2 to 3 in the afternoon, we would really start dragging. Luckily Boss took a few days off from work (and even came home early on the days he went because he couldn’t stand to be away from his grandsons!) and kept the boys very busy! Other than the first couple of days (which were a bit chilly and rainy), we had fantastic weather – bright blue skies with lots of sun and in the mid to upper-70s the majority of the time. The 3 of them must have made a trip to the park at least 6 or 7 times – Boss pulling the boys in their wagon each time! At the end of those days, Boss would tell Evan “I think it’s a 2 Aleve day!”...once all the aches and pains of running around with 2 little ones set in!! They also kept busy with all their new toys! Since we were going to be leaving Texas the day after Christmas, BeBe and Boss decided to let them open their presents throughout the time they were there, so everyday the boys would open a couple of presents! It kinda made Christmas Day a non-event because they’d been opening presents for 2 weeks prior to the actual day, but they did thoroughly enjoy opening every single one of them! We did tell Evan that we would go back to the more traditional approach next year when we are back in the states - opening all the presents on one day and not dragging it out over a month like we did this year! This is going to be something very new for him!

So like I said, they stayed very busy playing with all the things they received! Their favorites being the new playhouse they got and they each had their own motorized car to drive this year because Cooper got a new one. And Cooper also received a new play vacuum that he couldn't get enough of!  Evan tried out the bike he got last year, but was still a bit too small for it (maybe he’ll be a better fit and be a bit better at it come summer time!) They just really enjoyed all their outside time!

On the Tuesday after we arrived, we had a couple of special visitors. One of my best friends, Jennifer and her little boy, Connor (who is about 2 ½ months younger than Cooper) came to visit us. Unfortunately, they came when the weather was really rainy and yucky so we just had a bit of inside playtime. Fortunately, my parents had converted their garage into a playland for the boys, so it was no problem keeping them busy inside. I hate that I didn’t get my camera out for more shots than the one I got below. I’m not sure what I was thinking….maybe I was still feeling the jet lag affects?!?! They only visited for a day, so we got a quick visit and then they were off. Luckily, Connor is a really easy kid so he had no problem staying with my parents and the boys while Andrew, Jen and I went out for a great Mexican dinner! It was so wonderful to have her visit and can’t wait until we can spend more time together!  The boys had such a great time running around after one another, it will be tons of fun to see them play together again in another 6 months or so....whenever we finally make it back stateside!!  So thanks Jen and Connor for making the trip over to visit with us....can't wait to see you again!

Boss, in heaven, having his 2 grandsons home...BeBe too of course, but I didn't seem to get any pics of her and both boys together for some reason!

Loving their cars and always "safety first"

Coop needed a little extra padding to help him reach the foot peddle

Cooper and his pal, Connor

Playtime is the best...especially with new friends!

Texas....here we come!

No, no, no...we haven't gotten any word on a permanent move back to the states, so no need to get excited...I just thought a little teaser would be fun!! 
I'm actually just trying to catch up from where I left off in early December!  We had way too much fun on our trip back to the states for Christmas not to capture it here on our blog....so bear with me as I try to go back and capture the last couple of months! I do have to warn you I'm sure it is going to be a bit lengthy, but I've decided to break it down into various posts so that I can post them along as I go! 

On Dec 11th, we loaded up the car....4 very large suitcases, 1 large carry-on, 1 backpack, 2 car seats and 1 double stroller.....and headed to Singapore to stay for a couple of nights before we caught our 6:55am flight Sunday (the 13th) morning back to the states.  We decided that if we broke the trip up a bit and had a good night sleep at the airport hotel where we wouldn't have to wake up as early, it might not make our flying day feel as long.....well, it semi-worked!  It did make it much easier to get up and catch our 1st early morning flight, but it sure did feel like the never-ending day when we finally showed up in Laredo at 10pm...on the same day....27 hours later!  And to answer the question on everybody's mind....how did the boys do?....well, I guess it was well put by Andrew who said, "we definitely didn't make many friends along the way".  But to be completly honest, I don't think that was entirely true, they were good for the "most part!" It is just that the 2-3 meltdowns they had along the way...which were only 10 minutes each at the most, but felt more like an hour....just seem to resonate in our memories more than the other 26 hours of travel time that they actually behaved decently.  And now knowing what the return trip was like (I'll get to that one in a later post...it's a real doosey!), I have to say the trip over there was a total breeze!  Both boys slept a fair amount (probably about 10 hours in total) and Evan must have watched about 12 hours worth of movies to pass the time (thank goodness for the individual movie players on the back of the seats...where they now have a touch screen, so E was even able to get them playing all on his own!).  Luckily the flight schedule only had us with about a 2hr layover in Tokyo, so it gave us enough time to stretch our legs a bit and grab some McDonalds.  Our next layover was in Houston, where we had about 5 hours to kill, but luckily a good friend of mine came up to the airport to meet us with her 2 boys. So by the time we made it through immigration (where we also ran into another great friend of mine and her husband...who just happened to returning from a weekend trip to Mexico at the exact same time...what are the odds!  So great to see you Nic!), collected our luggage, went through customs and rechecked our luggage, we only had about 3 hours to kill.  All 4 boys had a fantastic time watching the airplanes and chasing each other around.  The boys seemed to become instant friends even though it was the 1st time they'd really met....the last time they'd seen Evan, he was still just a baby! I know they will become great friends (and get into much trouble together!) if we can ever get back into the same city as them!! So a special thanks to the Schicks for making the special trip out to the airport to meet up with us for a bit, it was so great to see you guys!!

So we headed back to the terminal to catch our LAST leg of this very LONG flight schedule and wouldn't you know it, we had delays!!  They loaded us up on the airplane and then decided that some "important light" in the cockpit was out and they would have to call out maintenance to have it fixed.  AN HOUR LATER, maintenance couldn't get it fixed so they were going to reload us on another plane!!  Not so bad, if we didn't have 2 very cranky kids who had finally managed to fall asleep while they were trying to fix the light.  So there we go with 2 car seats and 2 kids (who are now not asleep!) onto another plane! Luckily, they fell right back to sleep (as did I) once we boarded the "unbroken" plane! So about 2 hours later than originally scheduled, we finally landed in Laredo...."we made it, we made it, we made it"  as Evan liked to say after every landing!!  

Oh and a quick funny E story to share....when we landed at the airport in Houston, I told Evan that "this is the place you were born!"  He quickly said, "No, I wasn't"  and I said "yes, you were born here in Houston" to which he responded "I wasn't born at the airport"  Ha!  No, you are right about that one!  Too clever sometimes!

 Chillin' by one of the Singapore terminal fountains! 

 Posing by a Christmas tree at the airport hotel we were staying at...one of E's many new poses!

Before heading home, the boys were in some SERIOUS need of haircuts....this was Coop's 1st time to sit in the chair all by himself...he did GREAT! 

 This is about E's 15th haircut...so nothing new here!  He is a pro at these haircut sessions and even enjoys them!

 Even during haircuts he is snacking!  It was all fun until some hair fell into his mouth and then he was ready to be done!

 Awww...so much better without all that hair!

 Precious boy!

 We also rode the airport tram to help pass some time!

Never knew riding the train could be so much fun! We did it about 3 different times!

 

Leaving Singapore.....

 And here we go.....ready or not!

 The Schick boys stopping by for a visit during our layover in Houston!

Colton and Evan up to no good! 

Planes, Planes, Planes - Daniel's 3rd Birthday Party

Luckily, Daniel decided to have his birthday party before we left back for the states.  He is one of Evan's only friends here in Melaka that is a boy AND around his same age.  We've started trying to get the boys together more often as Sarah's schedule has allowed for, but it is quite difficult given both boys are in school in the morning and that they live over in the condos and we live out here! So anytime we do get together, Evan is thrilled!  Not only is he a big fan of Daniel's, but also of Maya, Daniel's 6 year old sister!  When we heard we were going to take a trip out to the Melaka airport to see some of the airplanes, E was even more thrilled.  One of our friends husbands works for the Malaysian Flight Academy (training pilots who are working on becoming commercial airplane pilots for Malaysian Airlines or Air Asia) and he agreed to give us a tour of the place.  It was just Daniel, Evan, Kirsty (the other expat kid who is just about 4 months younger than E) and Cooper.  We then headed back to the condos for some games and to have snacks and cake with the rest of the older expat kiddos.  The tour was great....we got to see the training rooms, a simulation room and even got to get in one of the single engine planes they train in.  It was dreadfully hot out, so we just got a few pictures of the kids in front of the plane, let them "fly one of the planes" for a bit and then headed out!  It was so much fun to see how excited the boys got.  Even with the heat and the loud plane engines running, they still had a blast!

Later at the condos, the boys got quite the workout running around, playing "duck, duck, goose", and playing on the playground equipment.  There were a couple of games of pin the tail on the donkey and then we had some fun pinata time.  We ended the evening with some yummy cake.

Evan checking out all the airplane controls

The boys didn't like the simulation plane too much - they couldn't see much and they had to be quiet in there, neither of which is any fun for 2 active little boys!

Daniel, Evan and Kirsty by one of the single engine prop planes

Cooper had to get in the picture...I love how all the boys are holding hands.  Kirsty was too preoccupied with her heart shaped pen to be holding any boy's hand!!

"Flying" the plane!  I got a pretty cute video as well that had Evan saying "Mommy can we fly over to Daniel's party now!" 

Trying for one shot with Mommy...

Playing duck, duck goose

And they are off...

Wallace trying to get E to do the wheelbarrel!  He wasn't real sure what Wallace was trying to get him to do and he is still a little too weak to hold himself up, so he quickly face planted!

Stopping for a picture...well, sort of!

Daniel and Maya

Enough of the singing...when am I going to get some of that yummy cake?!?!?

..and it was oh so yummy!

Taking a swing at the pinata!

I didn't get many pictures of Cooper, but let it be known he tried as hard as he could to keep up with the big kids!  After awhile we gave up and just walked around and snacked the rest of the time - something Cooper does very well...

at least it was healthy snacking!!