Time Flies: Graduation Weekend

One of our other road trips with the boys this spring was driving to Katy for Uncle Jeff's and Cousin Sara's high school graduation.  We had a great time celebrating the graduates and visiting with family.  Will even had a slumber party with his two older cousins, Jonas and Berit at Ya Ya and Grandad's house while we stayed in a hotel with Rex.  They were very excited to spend the night together and had a great time.  We spent most of the weekend swimming, eating and playing, and ended the weekend attending Jeff's graduation.  Crazy to think that the last of the 6 of us is headed off to college.  Christina pointed out that the next high school graduation we will attend will be Jonas' (her oldest who is now 6)!  Hard to believe that my parents will be empty nesters very soon.  My dad is retiring in December and they are building their dream home in Burnet.  They will be very close to us, which is very exciting!  Jeff is headed to Texas State in the fall and we are very proud of him.  It seems that he was a little guy like Will & Rex not too long ago, so it was very bitter sweet for me (and the rest of the family).  It also makes me realize how fast the time with our own 2 boys will go!

Congratulations, Jeffrey!  We are so proud of you.  We are also excited you'll be close to us through your college years, so we can keep an eye on you. :)

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Livin' the Life with 2 Busy Boys

The title says it all for this one... We are very busy, but loving every minute of our life with 2 boys now.  The best part is that Will & Rex are really enjoying one another's company with each passing day.  They love to make each other laugh and Will especially loves to "wrestle" with Rex (always supervised, of course).  Will's favorite wrestling trick is to hug/lay on top of Rex while holding his arms down by his sides (to prevent Rex from pulling his hair).  Surprisingly, Rex actually likes this move.  I think he's so happy to receive attention from his big bro, he'll take whatever he can get.  It is so sweet to watch the two of them together, and is far better than I ever imagined.  I know that when Rex is on the move, it's going to get more difficult.  I already know that Will probably won't appreciate Rex getting into his stuff, and that's when the real "refereeing" will begin.  It will all be worth it though, because I know they'll be the best of friends in the long run...maybe not always, but eventually they will!  I can't wait to watch it all unfold - through the good and the bad.  It will be an adventure, that's for sure!

Here's a hodge-podge of pictures from our days settling in at home as a family of 4:

Breakfast routine!

The most important meal of the day.

Rex is jealous.  "Give me some eggs!"

 Taking after Grandbub - Dr. Will is here!

 Working on building my muscles and perfecting my round.

 Relaxing, but always on the lookout for my big bro!

 Trying to keep Will busy with some marshmallow painting.  

 Smelling the paint?

Artist's palette

I DO like being a big brother!

 Dad is explaining the UT tower clock chimes to Will.  We took Will & Rex to visit the Co-op and turtle pond on campus.

 Rex was very interested in the tour, obviously.

 Will & Jim in front of the tower.  

 Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free...

 I miss this place.  Can't help but hope our boys are longhorns too!

 Turtles!

In case you were wondering where Rex was during all of this...still snoozing.

This was the best picture we had in front of the fountain. :)

 Here is an example of Will & Rex "wrestling."

Cocklebur Ranch Easter

Well, obviously we have a lot of catching up to do, so I'm going to do the best I can using the pictures we have taken since February.  Yes, I realize that Easter was over 3 months ago...I will catch up eventually.

We made the drive up to Oklahoma for Easter and it was our first road trip with both boys.  We stopped in Fort Worth on the way up there and that made the drive much more manageable.  Will even got to take a trip to the zoo with Jim before we finished the drive the next morning.  We spent the entire weekend at the farm with Beejie and Grandbub.  We also got to spend time with Uncle Mick and Aunt Allyson and Rex met a lot of his other Oklahoma relatives.  It was such a fun trip and I'm glad we did it while Rex was still sleeping in the car.  He's not liking his car seat so much anymore. :)

Here are some fun pictures from our visit:

Will learning to lasso with Uncle Mick

Close-up

Aunt Allyson, Beejie & Rex

 Howling at the moon

 This kid loves the farm!

 This kid loves to eat!

 Riding on the horse tire swing.

 Swinging!

 Grandbub & Rex

 Rex meets Mr. Jennings

 Rex meets Otis

 Grandbub and Rex

 Will, Beejie and Mr. Jennings

 The Boys

 Talking about serious stuff...

 Thinking about serious stuff...

 Will is starting to appreciate his little brother!

 Beejie is in her happy place!

 Will, Slick & Charlie

 Will is ready to find his Easter basket!

 Found it!

 Lucky for Will, he was the only participant in the egg hunt (with Beejie and Grandbub helping).

 Love this one!

 Don't you love his egg hunting attire?

 Will & Shiner: BFFs

 Cousins Alex & Jocelynn

 Great Grannie & Rex

Will loves his Aunt Allyson

and Uncle Mick!

For some reason, I have no pictures of Great Grandma with the boys, but both boys had fun with her too!  As I write this, Will is visiting with her now and having the time of his life.  Maybe one day, I'll get caught up to current events! Will is in OK for another Camp Cocklebur session now.  Lucky for him, he was able to stay a few extra days after Easter as well.  It's eerie how quiet it is when he's gone.  We miss him so much, but know he's not missing us too much.  He loves his visits with his grandparents!