Friday the 21st

I’m nothing if not punctual posting here on ye olde blogge.  I just haven’t been able to sit down and get anything posted this week!  Last weekend (the weekend of Joanna’s birthday), Matt took Friday and Monday off from work.  He hasn’t had a day off since we brought the babies home, so this was pretty awesome!

We’re not super vacationers or anything, but we decided to go over to The Woodlands for the day.  Our first stop was Sweet Tomatoes, a favorite restaurant, for lunch.

I actually fed both babies using my super awesome pillow in the booth at the restaurant.  Matt took a picture of that event (because, frankly, it was pretty cool), but it’s not quite internet appropriate.  :)

Later, I nursed just this one to sleep.  It’s Thomas.

Natalie fell in the mud outside the restaurant and was rather soaked, so I put her in the only change of clothes I had – James’ 3T pajama bottoms and 24month top.  The bottoms fit her like leggings and the top like a belly shirt.  :)  Since Joanna needed a green shirt anyway for her musical on Sunday, I had Matt drop me at Target while he drove around to put the babes to sleep.  I found a cute shirt in the boys department and put it on Natalie with her James leggings.  She’s so cute she can rock anything.

Then we went over to the Waterway area to walk around and enjoy the GORGEOUS day.  Seriously, I could not have special ordered a more beautiful day for the family.

I walked with them some, but of course I had to do a little of my favorite activity as well: photo stalking.

I tried for a little while to get it to look like Joanna was holding the fountain.  But she wasn’t that into it, so this was the best I got.  :)

This was one of the few pictures of me for the day.  I was there too!

Even though James had been to the restroom about FOUR times already, he needed to go on our walk.  Unfortunately we were in the business district or something and didn’t see a place.  I would have had him go in the bushes if we hadn’t soon emerged from the Waterway walk area near the Barnes and Noble.  I brought him in to go to the bathroom then sat on a bench in the shade outside to nurse the babies one at a time. (My pillow was in the car!)

Matt and the girls took turns for a potty break as well, and the middles enjoyed dancing to the music that was playing.  It was so lovely!!

A group of nice olderish ladies came up commenting on my big ol’ beautiful family.  It was sweet; I liked it.  I guess they’d kind of been watching us because they walked up and said “Where’s the other one?” when I just had one baby on my lap.  Matt had just walked inside with the other baby to get a cup of coffee. :)

Before the babies, we probably would have done another thing or two before heading home, but that was it for us!  The kids did so well on the car rides that day.  They loved noticing all the construction and heavy equipment on either side of the road that seemed to be everywhere.  We don’t go many places in the car, but when we do they’re very good about watching the world go by and pointing out interesting things.

It was enchilada Friday, so we called Grandma to see if we could come by a little early, rather than going home and turning right around to come back.  That, and James needed to go to the bathroom… again.  :)

I got Matt set up with the babies inside and took Joanna outside for a few more pictures.  I know I wasn’t making the best of the light and structures and everything, but I got a few sweet ones of her.

Back inside, Kathryn and Tawna had arrived, as well as Uncle Mark and Aunt Ida, so there were many hands for the babies.  I think Uncle Mark has Thomas below.  He was so sad, but calmed right down when Mark walked him around the room.

I think Michael is with Mark and Thomas is with Kathryn in the next pic, but it’s awfully hard to tell with iPod picture quality.

Natalie got to chat with Uncle Andy.

Tawna got Thomas to sleep later – yay!

And Kathryn put Michael to sleep.  Yay for other arms to snuggle the babies!

Just above, you can see the baby bump that is my nephew Drew!

It was a lovely day with the fam, but it definitely reaffirmed that AT HOME is the best place for little babies.  :)  They just do so much better in their regular routine with their own beds close by.  And going to a restaurant with little babies?  No fun.

But it was worth it, and the bug kids sure had fun.  It was just the first day of our busy weekend though!  I’m struggling to find time to blog lately, so even though I’d like to say there’s more up next, I’m just not sure that’s the truth. :)