Mardi Gras

We went to New Orleans last weekend - Mom had meetings for work on Friday and we decided to make it a family trip and enjoy some of the Mardi Gras festivities. But, the weather was really lousy - cold and rainy - so we didn't do as much Mardi Gras reveling as we hoped. We were still recovering from colds from last weekend, so we had to be careful with the weather. Dad and the kids stayed around the office on Friday, and then we went out for Japanese with Paul (or "Jackanese" as Natalie kept calling it). On Saturday, we ended up at the Children's Museum, where we all had a really good time. It was perfect considering the soggy weather. The rain cleared out in the afternoon and the temperature went up a little, so after an early dinner, we did make it to one parade. Natalie and Owen couldn't take their eyes off the floats, and we did score some beads (and a sword for Owen!), so that was cool. Natalie also enjoyed all the people around us. She informed the man next to us that we were sleeping in a hotel. We're lucky she didn't know that name of the hotel and room number or she probably would have invited him over. She's very friendly. She officially has bead greed - as we were heading back to car, she kept saying she needed more beads. We headed home on Sunday, and enjoyed a nice warm, sunny afternoon when we got home.

Last weekend we were housebound with three sick kids. Owen stayed home from school with a fever on that Friday, and by Saturday morning, Natalie and Henry had fevers as well. So we ended up at the doctor's first come-first served Sat schedule. It turns out everybody had colds - could be worse. It was only a matter of time, the kids at school have been dropping like flies. Every week there's a new case of some illness, and the flu and strep throat were going around. So we had to take it easy around here. Monday Natalie and Owen were home for Martin Luther King day, so Owen went into the office with Dad for a while, and Natalie stayed home for some quality time with Mom. Then Dad had to go out of town last week for work, and we were glad to have him home. Henry had his four month check up last week as well. He's doing great! He's built like his brother, long and lean. He's currently 45th percentile for weight and 85th percentile for height. We'll be venturing into the world of solids with him soon.

Everybody is feeling better now, and we're getting ready for Natalie's birthday celebrations this weekend. Henry is rolling over now - he's been working at it for many days, and he finally did it. He's just itching to get in on the action with Natalie and Owen. He loves watching them and always has a smile and laugh for Natalie.

Mr. Mom

Dad was Mr. Mom last week, as Mom had to go to Ft Worth for a two-day training seminar. It went well, but Dad discovered the challenges of taking care of three kids by yourself and he was very tired when Mom got home. Henry was good taking the bottle - fortunately we have a freezer full of breastmilk! Natalie was Dad's big helper. She even made sure to check with Dad on the status of Henry's feeding schedule. Dad thought maybe she should be in charge! Mom and Natalie had a talk before the trip about helping Daddy take care of the boys and being a big girl. Dad was excited to be back in the office on Friday! Last Wednesday was Mom & Dad's anniversary, but we didn't celebrate until the weekend (there was a brief "Happy Anniversary" early Wednesday before Mom left at 4 am). Friday our routine returned to normal. On Saturday after ballet, Owen got a much needed haircut, then Nat and Owen went to the school babysitting program (where Owen stayed up until 10:15 giggling & talking to himself under his blanket). Mom & Dad (& Henry) had a nice quiet dinner out. Sunday morning Dad ran a 5K, and after breakfast, we ran errands and went to the playground to wrap up the weekend. Henry is continuing to grow and learn new things. He loves to chew on his hands, and he's figuring out that toys are fun to chew on too.

Visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Gibbs

Grandma Phyllis and Grandpa Tom came to visit over the weekend. We had a good time and celebrated Christmas one more time. We left all the decorations up, so now we have to deal with taking them all down. Grandma & Grandpa arrived on Thursday afternoon. After dinner we opened presents. Natalie, Owen, and Henry were up late, but it was fun. Natalie and Owen were ecstatic that there were more presents to open. On Friday, Mom had to work and Dad had a few things to do around the house as well as some work meetings. Grandma & Grandpa put together Natalie and Owen's new toys. Saturday (after we rushed to get Natalie to ballet only to find it doesn't start back until next weekend) we dragged Grandma & Grandpa to the mall so we could use some of our Christmas gift cards. After an exhausting shopping experience, we went home and some of us napped and some of us worked outside. (Dad put Grandpa to work outside.) We went out for Mexican Saturday night and then we went to the Downtown Aquarium to enjoy some rides. We took turns on the carousel and the Ferris wheel, and then we sent Natalie and Owen on the train ride with Grandma and Grandpa. We have not taken this ride before, and apparently it is a "shark voyage." The train goes to the shark exhibit and also to an area where a big plastic shark "attacks" the train. This was cause for some excitement as you can imagine. Natalie now has more fuel for her nightmares and reasons to sleep with Mom and Dad. Owen was pretty excited about the sharks. Grandma and Grandpa left on Sunday and we all rested from all of our holiday celebrating.

Other than celebrating the holidays, we have been watching Henry grow before our eyes. We think his infancy is passing a lot faster than it did with Natalie and Owen. He is doing great! He is making raspberries at Mom these days, and he's full of giggles and smiles. He loves to be tickled! He's getting into his toys, grabbing things and chewing on everything. He loves Natalie and Owen, and Natalie always gets a smile from him. We can't believe how fast it's going. Natalie is still amazing us with the things she says. Every week she says something wild (and grown up!). Owen is getting to be a big boy. We're starting to get a little more aggressive with potty training (with Thomas the Train and Elmo underwear!), though we're not sure that it will go as smoothly as with Natalie.

2008!

Happy New Year! We had a great vacation between Christmas and New Years. Natalie had a dance camp last week (after Christmas) and we took advantage of her being out of the house to paint her room. It's pink, of course - her absolute favorite color. We moved her furniture around and it seems we have made better use of the space. She is very excited about the changes. We also started painting our exercise room. Nat's dance camp was themed Barbie Nutcracker, and we had fun watching her performance. Owen and Henry were also very into it and were well behaved for the whole thing. We had a fun New Year's eve - we ate all kinds of appetizers for dinner (it seemed we had a spinach theme) and then we all played games. Natalie's game Hullabaloo is a huge hit with everyone, and we also enjoyed Owen's Good Night Moon game. Then it was off to bed for Nats, Owen, and Henry, and Mom & Dad struggled to make it to midnight. New Year's Day we enjoyed some outside time, and after a healthier dinner, we had chocolate fondue (Natalie calls it "fun-do") for dessert. Now it's back to work and school. Grandma Phyllis and Grandpa Tom arrive tomorrow for one more Christmas celebration. It seems the red eye reduction on our camera software is malfunctioning, so bear with the pictures!