Lately

The Reynolds Family didn't let having a newborn slow us down! Nope, we've been movin' and groovin' and here to tell you all about it is my iPhone camera....

Heard Museum of natural Science and wildlife sanctuary - We bought a Groupon for a year membership to this hidden gem in McKinney. So glad we did! Cool animals and some great walking and hiking trails. It's so peaceful that I may actually go without the kids sometime! They have great camps, displays and shows that change out regularly. I have been putting together a document with things to do this summer and this has made the list! Grayson was more interested in the hose that they used to give the animals water than the actual animals. And the screws and nails that the exhibits were built with than the exhibits themselves. ;)

Snake exhibit! So creepy but he loved it.

I love seeing his curiousity. He wanted to know how everything worked.

Making breakfast with an Almost-3-Year-Old - Grayson is at the age where he wants to be involved in absolutely everything we do. He wants to know about it, why we're doing it, what it does/is, and how he can help, which all involves him pulling up a chair and/or tools. Fortunately, no tools came to breakfast prep this morning but he did re-arrange the eggs to where they were stacked on top of each other allowing him to fill the empty crate holes with a lot of cheese. I pick my battles. And you're probably wondering how the counter in the background became so cluttered. When you figure it out, LET ME KNOW.

Loved having his help but I had to have Beau come get him!

Walker's help is so much easier on me ;)

FamJam - Our Church puts this on once a month on a Wednesday night and it's so much fun! Designed mainly for the kids, it was fun to have them in there to worship with us and not have to worry about them being loud. There were balloons, slides, a great sermon just for the kids, "God" spoke to them over the loud speaker (SO funny to see their reactions) and the band was made up of high school kids. I loved the energy! 

Grayson and Daddy clapping to the music

Walker was awake for the whole thing. Here he's doing "The Sprinkler" ;)

Tried to get a pic of the cute H.S. band - oh well.

Brothers - What, this doesn't constitute as being busy? YOU try making a toddler fall in love with his newborn brother! It's not easy but it's a beautiful thing when it happens. :)

For a while, he would sneak touches when he thought we weren't looking. ;)

And then it was quite easy when M&M's were on the line. (Anything for a snapshot of them in their matching brother outfits!)

And then he curled up next to him and fell asleep without being asked. I call all of this....progress!

Melt my heart! Feeding W for the first time.

Bear hunts - Out of nowhere, Grayson has started announcing that there are bears at Mimi and Pop's house and that we need to go "get them." As always, I didn't get the actual hunt on video - I always miss the good stuff! But this is still cute. Aunt Amanda was a great companion on his hunts! He uses a make-shift shield (the lid to his tool box) and sword on his hunts.

Amanda's Visit - I think I already captured some of this trip but we love, love, loved having Aunt Amanda visit from Columbus! She came down to meet Walker and shower Grayson with some Auntie play time. She gives him so much attention when she's in town and he loves it! Other than some floor time, we shopped, dined with family and she went on A LOT of bear hunts with Grayson at Mimi and Pop's house. ;)

Legos!

Armed with hats and guns, they began their bear hunt.

Cowboy Day at school - We get a kick out of theme days around here and you better believe that the Reynolds know how to do Cowboy Day! Just look at this preciousness:

Thanks to our good friend Whitney who gifted G these chaps for his 1st birthday! What? Totally practical. :)

These cowboy boots are officially retired - so sad to see them go!

Cute school crafts

Cowboy theme? I guess Texas/Houston/NASA? Oh well, any footprint craft is going in the archive!

The Circus - Again, love me some Groupon. We got some super cheap seats right up front and close to the action (really, there are no bad seats at the Dr. Pepper Center) for the circus right here in Frisco. I love when things take less than 10 minutes to get to! We loved every minute and thanks to our police officer neighbor who worked the event the night before, we knew exactly when to leave to beat the crowd! Here's a summary of the Shrine Circus: beautiful animals, stereotypical cheesy glittery announcers, carnies hocking over-priced trinkets DIRECTLY to our child (Beau almost clocked one of them), fun elephant and camel riding intermission, seriously amazing motorcycle performance, unnecessarily loud techno and dance music (this is not your Water for Elephants circus, you guys), and female entertainers who are (more than likely) former strippers. Or currently strippers. Just telling the truth, y'all. 

Isn't he beautiful?

Daddy and Grayson watching the tigers!

Moms Night Out - I get ridiculously excited to see these girls! These are the moms from our play group and I just never imagined that we'd become so close. We don't have a lot of turnover in this group and we're going on 2 years of being together. Watching our toddlers and families grow together has been such a treat!

I don't know where these pictures should live but my children are BRILLIANT and this should be celebrated. Just look at that structure he built...

 and that smile on a 3 week old as he looks at the camera. That's hard to do at that age!

 

Coming up: Andrea's trip to the Big D to help me with my kitchen renovation, the kitchen project itself, Walker's Baptism, our family trip to Destin, and our Spring Break antics.

Walker's Newborn Photos

We hired Zoe D. again for Walker's newborn photo session and as usual, she did not disappoint! I love that we will have these forever and that Beau only gave me minimal grief for the expense of it all. :) I'm posting a lot more here than I did for Grayson's session. 

Our little boy already looks so different! And he's starting to get neck and thigh rolls - I can't wait for this next, very chubby stage. :)

Happy 1 Month, Walker Beau!

Stretching out after a full month of being scrunchy :)

Oh baby, time sure does fly! Baby Walker, you have grown so much in the way of staying awake longer through the day, not being afraid to use your vocal chords when you're hungry or want the pacifier and moving that strong neck of yours! We just don't expect you to be able to move your head around so whoever holds you gets head butted a lot! You've continued to have sweet visitors throughout these weeks - the latest being Aunt Amanda, who flew in from Columbus, OH. More on her stay another time!

Not sure about current stats but at your 2 week appt:
Weight: 9lbs 3oz (exact birth weight!)
Height: 22 in (grew a whole inch in 2 weeks :) )
Head: 14 in
Diaper: NB at 2 weeks but moved into Size 1 right after.
Clothes: NB at 2 weeks; by 1 month birthday, you're in 0-3 months.

Sleep: I can't complain! Sleeping in 5 hour stretches so really only waking one time in the night and then really early in the morning between 5 - 6:30am. Which pretty much means I'm up for the day since Grayson wakes up between 6:30-7:30am and it takes 40 minutes to feed/burp/diaper! Each week, you have changed your preference: Week 1: bassinet, swaddled; Week 2: Nap Nappy; Week 3: Swaddled propped on boppy; Week 4: On stomach (sigh). I know this is so much more comfortable and you are so much more at peace this way but it's still a bit stressful this early with all the SIDS talk. I would like your neck to be a little stronger for you to sleep this way. For this reason, you are still in our room.

You sleep best on your Mommy

Eating: We recently went up to 5 ounces every 3-4 hours during the day. 5 ounces at night too. That seems  like a lot to me but you take every drop. Burps are impressive and I love your content, punch drunk look after. ;)

Thanks Miss Nikki for my golf burp cloth (and coordinating goodies)!

Temprement: This changes weekly but you still seem to be so chill. Only crying when hungry but we can usually catch it when it's just little sounds. You have recently started whining for the pacifier - always wanting something there. You smile and stick your tongue out when someone does it to you first. You're easy in the car, love falling asleep on me and are overall a breeze!

Precious bee/honey themed sleeper with your bee blankie - a happy coincidence at Mimi's house!

Sibling love: Grayson is so sweet with you! It took a while for him to really pay attention to you but I can tell that the more you grown and interact (i.e. stay awake for now!), the more he will enjoy you. He pets your hair, holds your hand and kisses you on the forehead when we ask. He asks where you are or what you're doing many, many times during the day but for the most part, steers clear of you while he plays. Which is perfect! You're still just so fragile. :)

Unsolicited brotherly love :)

Adventures: You have accompanied me (and slept through) many things this past couple of weeks. Trips to the mall, chiropractor, errands, church, dining out (including a dinner at the amazing Dallas Country Club. Even some members don't even have their first visit until their 40s or 50s so I'd say this was a real treat!). You also attended MOPS with me so that you could meet all the sweet girls who have brought us meals and showered us with gifts recently. They held you and loved on you so that I could eat and take a break. SO sweet! You gave Mimi, Aunt Amanda and I the surprise of our week with a blow out diaper that had all 3 of us rolling up our sleeves in a public bathroom - it was like surgery! An adventure, for sure - I have never seen anything like it. :)

Aunt Amanda loves you!

Walker, you have made our family feel so complete and we all love you so much!

Aunt Amanda bought you this precious outfit from Posh Petunia - my favorite place :)

Aunt Kara and Uncle Todd gifted you this adorable baseball sleeper!