FOOTBALL

This kid cracks me up!!!  Every time he sees football (or baseball, or basketball or soccer) on TV he YELLS...FOOTBALL!!!!!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Indoor camping

We set up the tent over the weekend and Ashlyn enjoyed taking her naps in there!

DJ Snazzy Ash

BFF

They have their moments, but these two really are best friends.  Makes me so happy!

We love you Rah Rah

Happy birthday from 2 of your biggest fans!

A quick medical update

Ashlyn had an appointment with Dr. Burns, her hemangioma doctor, about a month ago.  He wants to do another laser procedure/steroid injection on her cheek. We have that scheduled for October 9th.  I have mixed feelings about it.  The last time she had a treatment it left her so swollen and bruised and it was  the first time she was old enough to notice it.  When she looked in the mirror and said "uh oh" it broke my heart and I said I wouldn't do it again. But after a lot of thinking and meeting with the specialist (who has followed her since she was 6 weeks old) and praying we have decided to go through with it.  Dr. Burns makes a lot of good points and we have trusted him this far so we aren't going to stop now.  Because of the location, our best chances of symmetry and no scaring or marking down the road  are to treat it now.  Her hemangioma has been very atypical.  I ask every time we see him if he is confident it is a hemangioma and he does through a differential diagnosis of why he is confident it is.  I asked about some imaging or a biopsy because it has been so atypical and he has very good reasons why we don't need to do those. So we will continue to trust his expertise and pray.  I am very anxious about how Ashlyn will feel after this next go around but feel like we are making the right decision.

Paxton is scheduled for a procedure as well.  He is going to get tubes in his ears!!  After 5-6 ear infections and antibiotics we met with the ENT doctor and decided to go ahead with tubes.  Once he has an infection the fluid never really goes away and it leaves him susceptible to another infection...which he usually gets.  With the winter and cold season approaching we feel this is a good time to have it done and hopefully avoid more antibiotics.  It is also a critical time for his language development and his hearing test showed that he isn't hearing perfectly because of all of the fluid.  We are hoping his tubes are as helpful as Ashlyn's have been!

She also had a check up at the ENT and her tubes look great.  They checked her hearing because  she didn't pass her 3 year old test with the pediatrician.  She passed this one with flying colors!  

So with both kids needing a procedure at the same surgical center, I had the bright idea to do them both on the same day!  Wish us luck!!!!

Here are a few pictures of them getting their hearing tested.  One was more compliant than the other...can you guess which one?

So much like his sister!

He even gets car sick too!!! (sorry for the gross pictures, but he just looks so darn cute)

My heart

I get a lot of pictures from Chance while I am at work but this has to be one of my favorites!  These three have my heart!

Egghead

These 4

Had the time of their lives tonite!!  The Garretts have this huge pillow on their living room floor and the kids spent the majority of the evening jumping, running, playing, bouncing and falling all over it!

Make it 5!

So happy these guys get to grow up together!

Thumbs up

Thumbs up for Double Dip custard with sprinkles!  Paxton had a kiddie cone that he ate so fast I couldn't even get a picture!

ATX

A good friend of mine from work got married in Austin on Saturday.  We decided to head down on Friday and make a family, fun weekend of it.  Aunt Rah Rah went down with us to babysit during the wedding and help out with the kids!  Her best friend, Rachel, lives in Austin...so it was perfect!  It was a jam packed weekend full of fun!!  I will describe the weekend with pictures...I took a few :)

We headed out Friday morning after we dropped the dogs off for a weekend getaway at their favorite boarding hotel!  Rah Rah rode in the back in between the kids.  She had her hands full.  My shoulders got a break!

Our first stop when we got into town was at The Domain, an awesome outdoor mall with great shops and restaurants (PS...thanks to my good friend Amy for ALL of the family fun recommendations in her hometown!)  We did a little shopping after a great lunch and ran a few errands before checking into the hotel.

He is hat crazy right now!

After shopping and lunch we checked into the hotel.  So glad we got a room with a pool view!  Yuck!  Chance asked the front desk if they rented fishing poles.  They didn't find that funny...apparently their chlorine dispenser was broken.

Both of the kids were absolutely crazy over the hotel phones.  I realized they probably have never seen a phone plugged into the wall.  I had to unplug the phones because they played with them nonstop.  Didn't need to pack any toys!  I'm serious...best toy ever!

After a short nap we loaded back up in the car and drove downtown.  We had dinner at Homeslice (the best pizza in town) and walked down the street to the old fashioned candy shop.  The kids picked out a few treats and we headed down to the bridge to wait for the bats.  We waited...and waited...and waited...and finally once it was dark and we couldn't see them, the bats flew out.  It was a little anticlimactic.  We made our way back to the hotel with 2 very sweaty, sticky and sleepy kids!  

The greatest candy shop ever

Waiting for the bats

"Look at bat!"

Yes, that is a sucker in his hair

Paxton woke up bright and early after a good nights sleep.  He and I went down to the lobby and had breakfast with the other early risers (a few old men reading the paper...we ate our breakfast outside on patio...overlooking the pond pool).  We brought breakfast back to the room for our sleepyheads.  Ashlyn loved the Texas waffle!

After breakfast we found our way down to Zilker Park to ride the Zilker Zypher...the miniature train that circles the park.  Paxton pointed out every dog that we passed in the park and Ashlyn waved at every passerbyer.  They loved it!

Paxton loved this musician playing along the track

We headed over to our lunch destination, Phil's Icehouse!  A good burger and a cold beer...with ice cream and a playground next door.  Score! 

"I think there was a hole in the bottom"

Aunt Rah Rah and Ray Ray

After lunch we went back to the hotel for a little R&R before the wedding.  The kids took a good nap and Chance and I watched a little college football.  Aunt Rah Rah and Rachel (Ray Ray as Ashlyn calls her) came over to babysit while Chance and I went to the wedding.  We met in the lobby to catch the shuttle to the ceremony along with all my other work buddies.  The shuttle was 45 minutes late which led to a CRAZY drive along the winding roads to the wedding.  It was a little scary.  We made it just in time for the wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception and I'm not sure I have seen a more perfect bride and groom.  Unfortunately, Chance wasn't feeling very well, so we had to catch the early shuttle back to the hotel.  It ended up raining and the reception was cut short so we didn't miss too much.

The most insane bus ride!

The Zale clan

Thanks Babe

Mr & Mrs Marshall

Seriously...could they be more perfect?

Here are a few pictures Sarah sent me while we were at the wedding.  It looks like everyone had a great time!

Paxton insisted on wearing this shoe!

Hiding

"Word to your mother"

Another early morning breakfast in the lobby (which had an awesome breakfast by the way) before we packed up and ventured out for our last day in Austin.  We grabbed a yummy cup of joe and walked around for a bit before meeting Gigi, Pop Pop (they were on their way to San Antonio) Rah Rah and Ray Ray for lunch at The Salt Lick in Round Rock.  It was the perfect lunch spot before a 3 hour drive home.  We filled our tummies with delicious BBQ...listened to some live music and let the kids get rid of every last ounce of energy for a guaranteed nap on the way home!

I LOVE this picture!

Pop Pop and Ashlyn

Well, if you  made it through this whole post, you win a prize!  I know it was so lengthy, but it was such a great weekend I didn't want to forget a second!  We love you ATX...see you soon!