How have 8 weeks passed already? Viviana turned 8 weeks old last night and it's hard to believe that Matthew will be 3 in less than 2 months. The days can be incredibly long but the years seem so short.

The heat is starting to peak. The heat index has been up in the hundreds, but it surprises me how much we've acclimated to Houston. We walked outside the other day and despite the humidity Gilbert and I both stated that it wasn't too bad out. I'm sure any of our friends and family from California would've complained about the humidity. We bought Matthew a small pool for the back yard so he can cool off. We were hoping Elise would like it, too, but the water seems to be too cold for her =).









Elise isn't too fond of Pez so we tie her up when Elise goes into the back yard. Gilbert taught Elise to tell the dog to sit =)

Untitled from Melissa S on Vimeo.

We have baby frogs everywhere and I'm not talking about our Viviana frog =). They're all over our grass and with the frogs come the birds that congregate on our fence just waiting to eat the frogs. This is a bit blurry but I wasn't able to get a clearer picture.



Matthew has taken to making up lyrics to the tunes of his favorite songs. This is to the tune of "Iron Man".

Untitled from Melissa S on Vimeo.

This mess gets made and cleaned up at least 3 times a day. I should just be happy that they like books, huh?





Matthew is always saying the funniest things. This is one of the latest.

Untitled from Melissa S on Vimeo.

It all started when he passed gas one day and I jokingly asked him what had happened. He responded by saying, "I farting. It comes out my butt." We laughed so hard because neither one of us taught him to say that. Silly boy.

Our frog is filling out! She's getting more rolls and more chins.







Hanging out with Daddy





Elise being silly



After 9 long months Elise finally dropped a nap and my toddlers are napping at the same time. Lucky for me Viviana naps a lot so I usually get an hour to and hour and a half to myself. I usually take that time to sit and do nothing since the rest of the day can be so hectic. I'm not looking forward to Viviana getting down to 2 naps but that's a long ways away.

Well, other than that life hasn't been too eventful. Our friends finally had their little boy yesterday. Yay! Our extended family is growing=). Our friends Jimmy and Mari are in town this weekend and I can't wait to see them. Viviana will be seeing the doctor for her 2 month check up this week.

I think that about sums it up =)

The week has been fairly uneventful. We had a play date with Elijah and Amelia last Thursday and the kids loved it. Viviana and I went to Marianne's baby shower. She was due two days ago and is still very much pregnant. A couple of friends are in town right now awaiting the arrival of baby Monaghan so we had lunch with them on Sunday. Other than that, the kids and I have pretty much stayed home.

Getting bigger =)



One of the only pictures I have of all 3 kids together. Who knew it would be so hard to get a good picture of 3 kids? =-p

Elijah is 2 months older than Matthew. Amelia is about 6 weeks older than Viviana =)



The toddlers playing together. If you look closely you can see Matthew's head peeking out from behind the Batcave.







We call Viviana "Viviana frog" because of her big tummy and skinny limbs (they were much skinner when she was brand new). This picture makes me smile.



They like to play in the dining room under the table and chairs. Elise looks like she got into a fight because she was attacked by mosquitoes. The band-aid is covering a mosquito bite that she scratched so much she made it bleed. Poor kid. She also LOVES to carry that purse. This cracks me up because although I appreciate a nice handbag, I rarely carry one because I've been carrying a diaper bag for the last 3 years. I have no idea where she learned this =)



Sisters





Big yawn



Elise LOVES Uncle Jason







The look of mischief



Family fun with the camera (Elise was napping when we took this)



My handsome little man











Well, that's life for now. In other news it appears a tropical depression is headed our way. Ugh. More rain (not that we need it...). Let's hope it doesn't get more severe than that. More information on that at the ABC 13 website.

Oh boy. Not only is Matthew in the middle of being 2 (I really hate to call it the "terrible twos"), but Elise has decided to start acting like a toddler. She's exploring everything and becoming more vocal... and she's throwing tantrums all.the.time... Two toddlers throwing tantrums... sometimes at the same time... sometimes while their newborn sister is crying because she's hungry or tired... I've resigned myself to the fact that sitting down where I can see them is better for all of us than if I try to get everything done while trying to keep everyone happy at the same time. *sigh*

Elise has become so vocal recently. She manages to surprise me every day. I love the way she says "chicken" and "milk". I find it hilarious that she still thinks Viviana's name is "Gentle". I feel like I just had her. Where have the last 15 months gone?

Bath time =)



Tummy time. She's not a big fan.



This makes me laugh



Matthew got a haircut! For the first time in his life he let them use the clippers to clean up his neck and sideburns. Of course, he already has 5 o'clock shadow because he's so hairy, but I was so proud of my big boy.





Elise has learned to say "cheese" every time she seems the camera.



I love that they love each other







Daddy and his girls









This picture was taken when I was about 24 weeks, I think. That would have put Vicki at about 34 weeks, Melanie at 32 weeks, and Marianne at 21 weeks.



This was taken this Sunday. Melanie's little boy, Van, is almost 11 weeks old now. Viviana is 5 weeks old. Vicki's little girl, Amelia, will be 12 weeks old tomorrow.



We're getting wrist rolls!!!



And big cheeks!



Fun with Mommy's new laptop





The last project I completed was bedding for Kelly and Marianne's baby. I finished it last week and Marianne sent me these pictures of her crib. I'm glad she likes it =)





I guess that's it for now. More soon =)