Travis' New Room

Travis didn't need a new room--he's already in the biggest one! But we did decide to give him a makeover of his choice. He chose to have a Star Wars room!

His one request was to have a chalkboard. Easy enough. It's been fun to leave him notes and see what artwork he produces.

Believe it or not...this Darth Vadar lamp is another product of the Myhand's "magic attic." This was also Shayne's at some point in his childhood. I'm so grateful to my in-laws for saving this for 30 years so BOTH our boys can have things in their rooms that used to be Shayne's!

Cole's New Room

With the new baby coming, we asked Cole to move out of the littlest room upstairs so we could once again make it a nursery. That meant he got to move into what was the guest room and get a BIG bed. Turns out we got him the coolest bed ever with lots of cubby holes and a "cave" underneath. It was also very important that he have a place to display his (2) trophies! He's so proud of his new sports room and feels like such a big boy in it.

Shayne's mom painted the ceramic football player shown above on the football shelf. It's got an Atlanta Falcon helmet (Shayne's fave team) and it's signed "Mom '79" on the bottom, when Shayne was 6 years old.

Shayne's Mom and Dad have a "magic attic" in which things from the past are pulled periodically and passed onto the boys. Luckily, Shayne had a sports room when he was a little boy and we received a shipment of sports decor from the '70s like this lamp which also came with matching bookends. Cole LOVES that he has stuff in his room that used to be his Daddy's.

We Need a Little Christmas!

Cole stayed home sick from school on Friday, even though he probably could've gone. We thought it was going to snow (much ado about nothing) and I kept him home with me for the second day in a row to make sure he was fully recovered from his little stomach bug. Our big tree downstairs had been sitting dark and empty for four days so I decided we needed to get it done. It was a big job, but I learned there's nothing like an enthusiastic four year old practically juggling glass ornaments to keep you going! We got it done with only a few breaks: one for the 10 minute snow flurry and once when he asked me to dance to a song on Wynona's christmas album. And there was only one broken ornament that was easily repairable!

Our fully trimmed Santa tree!

Red the Elf is baaaaack!

Our little "Elf on the Shelf" Red is back again this year! The boys were delighted to see that Red had returned and was waiting on our banister for them when we got home from Thanksgiving. It's sooo much fun to see where the little guy shows up each morning...and who can spot him first! It's quite the competition...

On Wednesday, Cole got into the Hershey Kisses pretty heavily, and coincidence or not, threw up in his bed that night. Well it turns out, Red did the same thing...and also left candy wrappers around as evidence of his binge! As Travis told him, "Mommy hates messes." The best part of this placement is that it kept everyone out of the candy dish the next day because everyone knows...you can't touch Red.

Card Photo Shoot

While we were at the Double Eight for Thanksgiving I put the boys in their new Christmas pjs and had a little photo shoot in an attempt to get a good shot for our Christmas card.

One of these three will be on the front of our 2009 card...

but I'm not telling you which one!

Reason for the Season

Today we had a long day of decorating for Christmas and getting the house in order. Shayne is traveling a lot for work and since I can't really lift anything, we only had today to get all the decorations out of the attic, put out, and empty boxes put back up. It didn't seem like I was going to be able to get my part done and I was really overwhelmed. In the midst of my frustration, Cole asks me to come upstairs for a "surprise." I put him off for a few hours until finally, in the dark playroom, I sit down and he pushes the button on his Fisher Price nativity set and it shines a light on the baby Jesus. "Isn't that the best surprise you've ever seen?" he asks. Indeed, it is! Thank you my sweet boy for reminding Mommy what's important!

Thanksgiving Feast

Shayne and I attended our 5th preschool Thanksgiving Feast as the special guests of our favorite little Indian...

Mommy and Daddy with "Red Fox"

Ozymandias Recitation

Travis' 2nd grade class learned Shelley's sonnet Ozymandias as a compliment to their study of Egyptian History. They recited it as a group in assembly this morning, but I got a private performance for the sake of video. Unfortunately, I congratulate him on a job well done before the actual end of the poem comes. Disregard my voice :( I think he does amazingly well!

Trick or Treat

We were invited to a fun Halloween night party with lots of kids from Travis' school. That allowed us to trick-or-treat "for real" in a fantastic neighborhood. There was lots of great candy to "score" and fun decorations to "scare." Both boys had a great night!

Cole: Sherriff Woody from Toy Story

(not just a cowboy)

Travis: Clone Troop Commander Rex

(not a Storm Trooper!)

Grown Up Costume Party

It's a bit of a challenge to find a cute Halloween costume when you're six months pregnant. So I decided to give up on cute and try for funny! I found a Hillbilly Bride costume that came with an inflatible belly--no need! A couple of temporary tattoos and a husband that dressed up from his own closet and we were ready to go!

Cole's Fall Festival

I volunteered at Cole's Fall Festival...always a fun time! I was at the nail painting station...something I never get to do! I wish I'd kept count of how many little tiny nails I painted orange, green, purple and black!

Cole's class getting some instructions.

Look at my prize, Mommy!

Ooooh, good! A whistle!

It's a brother!

Myhand Baby Boy #3

Great news for October...

we'll have a third little boy in February!

OB visit with Mommy

As luck would have it...Travis and Cole were both out of school on the day our ultrasound was scheduled. So they got to accompany us to find out the gender of the baby!

They were so good in the OB office. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a scheduling glitch with the ultrasound tech, so we ended up waiting...

...and waiting...

...and waiting...

...and waiting!

It's Gr8 to be Eight!

There are 3 boys in Travis' 2nd grade class that turned 8 in the same week. So we combined forces and threw a Star Wars themed backyard campout. The evening started with games, pizza, cake and ice cream followed by presents! As soon as it got dark, we projected a Star Wars movie onto an outdoor screen. It was unseasonable chilly--around 50 degrees. But hey, when you're 8 it's just not a big deal. The dads eventually got everyone settled into tents and zipped in for the night. The morning came really early but we had a fire to warm up by and donuts!

Birthday Buddies: Matthew, Travis and Miles

Ten little boys and one little brother!

Taking turns opening presents.

Feeling the Force...if only to stay warm!

Best buddies Miles and Travis...lightsabers at dawn!

Disney World '09

4 Disney parks in 4 days. 358 photos. 12 (ish) souvenirs. 46 character autographs. 2 exhausted parents. 4 days of magic and 2 happy little boys: PRICELESS!

Boxes from Mickey

FOUND: on our back porch! A box addressed to each boy from Mickey himself!

Cole's first find...a little Mickey doll. He anxiously digs to see what else is in there. He found pjs, character tshirts, a Toy Story water bottle and Mickey fruit snacks!

Travis reads his card from Mickey, which congratulates him on growing tall enough to ride all the exciting rides in the parks!

Travis was pumped that he received another box from Mickey this year. He got one in 2007 when he made his first trip. He told me later he was afraid the "box thing" was just for first timers and that Cole would get one, but he wouldn't.

Mom, (ahem!) I mean Mickey, YOU ROCK!

The boys are more excited than ever to start packing.

Soccer Season Opener

The soccer season was delayed by one week due to rain, so by the time game day rolled around this week both boys were way past ready! This is Cole's first year to play and he's extremely enthusiastic. In fact, on the way to the fields this morning he declared himself a "soccer expert" much to Travis' frustration. This is the best picture I could get of the two of them together. Immediately after I snapped this shot, Cole darted away to join his teammates.

Cole plays for the Red Rockets...Travis' team is named the Vipers.

The very picture of focus and attention!

Sadly, Cole's team lost. I couldn't keep up with the final score. There wasn't a great deal of defense on either team. But Cole-man scored two goals and he was delighted with himself.

Travis all sweaty and tired, yet victorious!!! Travis has played for the same coach and with most of the same kids for three seasons now. It's amazing how well they're learning to play as a team. Shayne and I were both so excited with how well they played today, winning 3-2 over a very good team. Travis scored the first goal of the game and was quick to remind me it was also the "first goal of the season!"

Here's to a winning season full of fun memories for both my soccer stars!

4 and 8 Year Portraits

We had the boys' portraits made on Wednesday by Bright Eyes Photography. The ladies were kind enough to show us a sneak peek of the 300+ photos they snapped by featuring the boys' session on their blog. There are three more cute ones on their website...check 'em out!

www.brighteyesphotography.com/blog/

Surprise!

We just thought we were done having babies! As a friend of mine said when I shared the news, "We make our plans and God just laughs!" It's obvious that He wasn't done with our family yet.

We'll have another little Myhand join our family in February 2010.

We can't wait!!

The boys are delighted! Cole is very enthusiastic about being someone's big brother! Travis was quick to remind him that he'd still be a little brother too.

Here they skeptically look over the sonogram images from today's ultrasound. Cole said, "I don't really see a baby, Mommy." But Shayne and I got to see it and it was looks perfect! And there's a possibility we might have to change this blog title to "My Three Sons" soon!

Tutty Bear Comes for a Visit!

Travis' 2nd grade class has a traveling mascot named Tutty Bear. In history this year, they learn about all things Egyptian...so the bear follows that theme. Thus the name...get it?

So, Tutty goes home with a student on the weekends accompanied by a travel journal in which his adventures are documented. The student then shares with the rest of the class on Monday.

It was quite an honor for Travis to be the first to get to bring Tutty home! And I was thrilled because we actually had a fun event planned we could journal about. We had tickets to the UT game so I suggested we take Tutty along. Travis was a bit apprehensive. But I assured him that even in a crowd of 101,000 people, I could be trusted not to lose a stuffed bear. I felt confident. And no, this story doesn't take a horrific turn...we made it there and back with Tutty safe and sound. We got a couple of cute pictures for the journal and I thought I'd share them:

In front of the entrance to the stadium.

From our seats, with an awesome view of the field and downtown Austin in the background.

Hook 'Em Horns

Shayne stumbled on a really great deal on tickets for the Longhorn's season opener. We were able to all attend our first UT game this evening! Travis enjoyed his first "tailgating" experience and Cole enjoyed the chance to perfect his "Hook 'em Horns" fingers he's been working on for quite a while! And we all enjoyed the chance to cheer the Horns on to victory...or at least a solid half-time lead...which was when we decided we'd all had about enough.

Hook 'em!

In front of DK Royal Memorial Stadium

Can you say "cheap seats?" We were at the very top with our own backrest.

I love the look on Travis' face as the Longhorns raced through the smoke to take the field.

Is this not the sweetest thing? Shayne and I just kept looking at each other in disbelief with a lump in our throat...I almost forgot to grab the camera and snap a picture. Glad I did, because it didn't last long.

First Day of 2nd Grade

A few scenes from Travis' first morning of Second Grade:

Outside his classroom door.

Which cubby is mine?

With his new teacher, Mrs. Gresham.

Taking a break from organizing his desk "just so" for a picture.

One last smile...enough MOM!

Have a great year buddy!

Little Traditions

There's a little bronze statue in the courtyard of our church's preschool that I just LOVE! As you can see it's a little boy reading a book. It also serves as a marker of how time marches on. I always have the boys pose beside it for an annual picture as school starts.

Here are some "first day of school" pictures of years past:

Travis in 3K

2005

Travis in 4K

2006

Cole in 3K

2008


Cole in 4K
2009

First day of Pre-K

Today was Cole's first day of preschool for his 4K year! He had a great day. When asked what was the best part, he replied, "All of it!" He made a new friend and played pirates on the playground. Sounds like a great start to me!

With Ms. Kathy, his new teacher

Taking responsibility and putting away his things.
This is a year of growing up and getting ready for Kindergarten!

Fiesta Texas

We took the boys to Fiesta Texas for one last hurrah before school starts. Why do we always wait to go in August? It was 102-degrees.

My navigators...three men and they all had to have a map!

Travis and Daddy exiting the first coaster of the day--Boomerang.

Travis is tall enough to ride most of the mid-range rides...but still a year and a few inches short of all the really BIG coasters.



His favorite of the day was the wooden roller coaster--The Rattler!

Mine and Cole's favorite moment of the day--

chocolate milkshakes at Johnny Rocket's!

Green/White belt

Indiana Family

Shayne's grandparents with seven of their eleven great-grandchildren.

A whole lotta little girls...

Travis and Cole with their all-female cousins.

Miranda, Courtney, Camrynn, Callie and Chloe

Louisville Sluggers

During our annual trip to visit Shayne's family in Clarksville, IN the boys had some free time on Friday afternoon and decided to tour the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory across the river.

That's one huge bat!

Amazingly, no one has gotten whacked in the head with a bat yet!


Fresh from the factory...
Travis posing with his brand new customized natural wooden bat!

And Cole chose to have a black one.

K'Nex Coaster

Travis finished assembling his roller coaster kit that he'd been working on for a few days. He worked feverishly at first and then lost motivation assembling the track. So I promised if he'd complete it (as opposed to pieces being strung out all over the living room) I'd post the pictures on the blog. So here it is...

Mommy/Travis Days '09

One of the great benefits to Cole attending daycamp is that it gives Travis and I the opportunity to have some time just the two of us to do things we wouldn't ordinarily get to do with Cole in tow. We call these days, Mommy & Travis "adventure days" and plan them out each summer. Here's a link to what we did last year: Mommy/Travis Days '08

This year we had a great time: visiting the Texas State History Museum and the State Capitol; bowling and playing arcade games; seeing Jungle Jim and his bug collection; swimming in Barton Springs and exploring InnerSpace Caverns.

Here are some pictures from our favorite adventures:

Barton Springs Pool is a natural spring in Zilker Park near downtown Austin. It's 68 degrees year round and even though the temperature on the day we visited would top 103 outside the water, it was still COLD! But since it's a natural spring, there is all sorts of stuff to see in the water...thus, the mask for spotting fish and creatures.

Travis decided the best way to get in was the diving board. And yes, it's COLD!!!

InnerSpace Caverns is a cave underneath I-35 in Georgetown that was discovered while they were drilling to build the interstate in the 1960s. We took the 1 1/2 hour tour that let us explore the caves on foot.

Most of the cave is "hands off" but this is the one spot you could touch.

It's so dark it's tough to get a good picture, but it's really beautiful.

Hitting a jackpot on the arcade game at the bowling alley.

Travis studied Texas History last year in First Grade, so we went back to the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum this year, then walked over to the State Capitol.

Astounded in the rotunda...

And since these were "adventure" days, I outlawed lunch at McDonald's or Chick-Fil-A because we eat there all the time. The result was that we ate A LOT of pizza...

Cole's Camps

Cole's preschool does a few sessions of daycamp each summer. I love that they do this because it gives the kids something fun to do in a safe environment. And, it gives the moms a little bit of a break in the middle of the summer. The camps always have fun themes that all the art projects are based around. Here is Cole posing with some of his favorite artwork from each week...

BUG CAMP

OCEAN CAMP

Pet Lizard

What happens when Daddy takes Travis to a sporting goods store? We get a pet lizard! I got a text message from Shayne telling me that Travis had lured him into Petco after they finished shopping at Dick's Sporting Goods. And how would I feel about a them buying a lizard? By the time I saw the text and responded, "I'm open to discussing it." they were in the checkout aisle purchasing our new pet! He is an anole and clever enough, his name is "Noley."

It's really difficult to get a lizard to pose for a picture...

Travis is delighted and so far a wonderful caregiver. He has to be misted twice a day to maintain a "tropical environment" and eats 4-6 live baby crickets a day. Yes, that means we're also cricket farmers :O)

Night, night my 4 year old

Today, Cole turned 4! We had a big party on Saturday to celebrate, but today, on his actual birthday, we went to church and spent the rest of the day just the four of us. We had our traditional lunch and playtime at Chuck E Cheese and later Shayne took the boys to the driving range. So, needless to say, after two days of partying, Cole was exhausted. He fell asleep early on the couch and as I put him in his bed at bedtime I took the opportunity to hold him and think back to this very night four years ago. He was the first baby we'd had in our hospital room, as Travis was premature and had to be kept in the NICU. So I remember distinctly holding Cole as he slept on his original "birthday." So tonight as I held him in his big boy bed, thinking he was asleep, I whispered a prayer... "Dear God, please help me help him grow up to be a good man who loves you." And my four-year-old rolled over and said, "And don't forget also a football player!"

Birthday lunch at Chuck's

It's family tradition to go to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch on your actual birthday. This doesn't just apply to the boys...we go on mine and Shayne's too! Because all three boys really love playing the games and I'm a really good sport :) This has also spared me (so far) from having a big party there with other kids to worry about running around...it's always so crowded and crazy! So Sunday after church, we headed to Chuckie's for pizza and fun. Here are some pictures of the birthday boy...

Cole is 4!

Cole chose to have his birthday party at the Hoppin' Hippo again. I love this place because the ladies there are so nice and the kids always have a lot of fun.

Travis did a great job of making Cole feel special on his birthday and allowing him to be the center of attention! I love this picture of them as we arrived at the Hoppin' Hippo...

and as they were playing so great together...
The whole family with the birthday boy...

Make a wish, sweet boy...

A new bike from Mommy and Daddy!

Spidey Cake

I love to make the boys' birthday cakes. This year Cole requested "Spiderman on a building" for his Spiderman party. So after searching images on the internet, I decided on a design. Well, the finished product you see below is not AT ALL what I had planned. But gravity, humidity and lack of skill conspired to make the original plan impossible. I seriously considered at one point just trying to carve some cupcakes out of my cake layers! But all's well that ends well...and in the end the birthday boy was happy!

Licking the beaters...the best part of "helping!"

Spiderman on a building...looking at the villian, Venom causing mayhem below.

Happy Birthday Cole!

My baby boy, Cole is turning 4 on Sunday. That's almost impossible for me to believe. Here are some of his milestone portraits from the years.

6 months

1 year

18 months

2 years

3 years

Beach Trip 2009

We're back from our annual beach trip to Amelia Island, FL. We get to spend every 4th of July week there with Shayne's parents and his sister and her family. It's a great time for the boys to spend playing with their cousins and we all have a lot of fun! This year the five kids ranged in age from 18 months to 7 1/2. There were SO many pictures that I had to group them by subject matter and put them in slideshows. Below are the highlights of our vacation...

4th of July

Alligator Farm

Nights Out at the Beach

Fernandina Beach

Red, White and Blue

Every year we spend the 4th of July on Amelia Island with Shayne's family. GG buys all the grandkids (5 now!) coordinating patriotic outfits for the occasion. I thought it would be fun to go back through the years and find a picture from each year to see how the family and the kids have grown.

2002

First, there was Travis...

2003

Travis (1) and baby McKenzie

2004

Travis (2), McKenzie (1) and baby Morgan

2005

McKenzie (2), Morgan (1), and Travis (3)

2006

McKenzie (3), Morgan (2), Travis (4) and baby Cole

2007

McKenzie (4), Morgan (3), Cole (1), and Travis (5)
2008

Cole (2), Morgan (4), baby Gray, McKenzie (5) and Travis (6)

Coming soon...4th of July 2009!

Swim Lessons

We just wrapped up our month long swim lessons with Aqua Tots. I would highly recommend them! The kids learned a lot--especially Cole who I'm now confident can swim enough to save himself if need be. They both really enjoyed the lessons...especially because they had some good friends in their class. My friend Jessica told us about the program and we signed up with her kids. Here are some pictures of our little swimmers on their last day.

Andrew and Cole

Madeline and Travis

Happy Father's Day

A sweet picture of Travis and Cole with their Daddy on Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day, Shayne!

You're our hero!

VBS Crocodile Dock

The boys and I participated in our Vacation Bible School this past week. Our theme this year is "Crocodile Dock--Where Fearless Kids Shine God's Light!" The boys had a blast playing and learning all week. Here's a picture of them in front of the "bayou" that was created in the front of our sanctuary!

While Travis was having fun in his "big kid" section, Cole and I were in Rocky's Preschool Playhouse. Here's a shot of Cole in front of Rocky, the mascot for the preschool section.

Since I was volunteering in the preschool section, I didn't get many pictures of Travis. But here's one of him taking a break from grooving to the music during Sing and Play Swamp Stomp!

This is a "Prayer Gator" that Travis created during crafts. It's a clip that's supposed to hold prayers that the kids write down. No big surprise what came to Travis' mind...

Cole and his crew discussing some "God Sightings"

Cole and his friend, Grace during Sing and Play.

48 inches!

Today is a HUGE day for Travis. For the first time in the three years that we've been going to this particular water park, he was tall enough to ride the big waterslide solo. He wanted to reach this height so badly, I can't even describe it. Telling him that he had to eat healthy foods so he could grow tall enough was a great motivator even in the winter months. Today was the first time we've been to the water park this year and the first order of business was to go get measured at the lifeguard station. I watched the process and it was close! (I don't think I'll be getting his hair cut anytime soon in fear it might put him under the mark!)

He was so ecstatic when he measured 48" and got his hand stamped. I was lucky to get him to pose for a picture with the slide in the background. Needless to say, as soon as I clicked it he was off for the first of many solo slides!

Cole's Swim Lessons

The boys are taking swim lessons with a group called Aqua Tots and I would highly recommend them. Cole's first lesson was rough as he refused to put one toe in the water. He gave the excuse that it was "too cold" or "too hot" and finally the truth that he was "just a wittle bit scared." His friend Andrew is in his class and Travis' was right after, so I think he got enough peer pressure that by the second lesson he only put up a mild protest before giving in and participating. He turned around to me midway through the second day and said, "Mommy! I'm doing it and I'm super great at this!" Soooo, now he's very confident to say the least!

His instructor, Blake, is extremely calm and patient. There are only three little boys in the class and they're having a lot of fun together!

All smiles and splashes!

Cole on the right, our friend Andrew in the middle and our new friend, Colton on the left.

Trophies!!!

I missed attending Travis' soccer trophy ceremony because I had a meeting at church. So there were no pictures of that event. So I had this great idea that after Cole got his today, we'd go home, put on Travis' jersey, grab his trophy and get a picture of both of them with their trophies. Just one detail I didn't factor in...snowcones! Can you tell what flavor they both enjoyed at the tball closing ceremonies??? Cole had blue raspberry and Travis had cherry!

Tball Trophy

Today was closing ceremonies for the baseball season and that means Cole finally got that trophy he's been looking forward to receiving! He's been anticipating the trophy since the day I signed him up to play back in February. Because Travis has so many trophies on his bookshelves, he was looking forward to having one of his own. The fact that Daddy got to present it to him made it all the more exciting!

Splash Bomb!

Saturday fun with Travis' friend Miles over for a playdate. Aunt Donna gave the boys this super cool waterslide called the "Splash Bomb" last year and it's always a good time!

We're all SO glad that summer is here!!!

Welcome Home Daddy!

Shayne spent 10 days in Asia on a business trip and we all missed him terribly!!! He got home mid-day Wednesday and came bearing gifts...Travis loves to play chess and is getting pretty good at it. So he got a special chess set and is so enamored with it! It truly is beautiful. I'm glad he appreciates it.

Cole is not really old enough for such an heirloom quality gift. So he got some Spiderman toys from Toys R Us China. Both boys also got a couple of personalized gifts with their names painted on them, but Cole wanted to pose with his necklace with the Chinese symbol for "Year of the Rooster." You should see him flap his wings and crow to act out his birth year. Funny! I can't believe he wasn't born in the Year of the Monkey...

The effects of jet lag are rough...

Travis' Field Day

Travis' last day of school was a Field Day. They created mixed aged teams with an Upper School student as a "coach" and a member of the faculty as "advisor" and competed in all sorts of silly games. Travis was on the light blue team they named Warriors.

Here's an action shot of the Tricycle Relay. Hilarious!

We are...we are...WARRIORS!

Cole and another "little brother" trying their skills at the tricycle relay after all the big kids left the field to go practice their cheers.

Sports stars

This picture summarizes our spring. It's been nearly completely consumed with sports. I think the boys have been in these outfits more often than any other clothes since March!

See the following posts for some highlight pictures of their seasons.

Rockhounds

Cole's first tball season was a great one! Mostly because he got to spend so much time with Shayne, his head coach. Early in the season we knew Cole would be most enthusiastic. He ran to the ball no matter where on the field it was and was always on the ground at the end of the play...whether he was involved or not.

Cobras

Travis played his fifth season of soccer and keeps getting better and better. He amazes us with his determination and desire to win. He's a fierce competitor!

Lacing up cleats and putting on shinguards...we're really quick at this now.

Getting a little coaching from Coach Todd.

Taking it to the goal!

Cowboy Cookout

Travis' class culminated their study of Texas History with a day long Cowboy Cookout. They had a real cowboy come and show them his horse, a docent from the county museum, a BBQ lunch, a sing-a-long and a hayride. It was quite a day!

Travis proudly displaying his completed Texas History notebook.

His best, "This county ain't big enough for the both of us" look!

A little cowboy saying Grace...how precious.

Travis with his teacher, Mrs. Hipp.

The whole family got to join him for the BBQ lunch.

Travis with his class.

Cole wasn't about to be left out of the fun of posing on the saddle!

Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I was able to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom! A picture of the four of us before church...followed by a yummy lunch.

Mommy and her boys

Mother's Day Tea

I was honored to be Cole's guest at his preschool's Mother's Day Tea. It was a fun time of mini muffins, pink lemonade and lots of hugs and kisses!

Cole was proud to show me my present--his handprint on a tile! And now I have a pair of them, as Travis made the same piece of art when he was 3!

Cinco de Mayo Campout

We had a backyard cookout/campout and used Cinco de Mayo as the excuse to have a party! We had lots of good Mexican dips and appetizers served off of tailgates and the margarita machine (Margarator) that I got for my birthday runs off of a cigarette lighter so we were in business!!! We had 12 adults and 12 kids in our little tent city. The Mommies and most of the girls ended up inside to sleep eventually, but the boys toughed it out even though it rained in the middle of the night and a few of the tents leaked. Breakfast tacos and doughnuts in the a.m. made it all better though! Great friends and great times!

Cole's First Sleepover

Wow! What a milestone! Cole had his first sleepover tonight. His friend (and my best friend's son) Andrew came home with us after the Pirate Party so he could escape his sister's slumber party happening at his house! Both boys had looked so forward to it for days and they did great with it! I wasn't sure how it would go because they're still so little, but luckily he felt really comfortable here.

Cole was thrilled to discover a big "drawer" under his bed. We'd never needed it before, so he didn't know it pulled out to make another sleeping place. Of course, the idea was for Andrew to sleep down there and Cole to sleep up on his regular mattress...but they needed to be "together" so they both squeezed in to the lower part.

They had a lot of trouble going to sleep because they were so excited, but after lots of drinks of water and "reading" several books to each other, I finally got to take this picture of them fast asleep. I'm so thankful the flash didn't wake them up!

Moms and Mateys

The boys and I attended the annual Moms and Mateys (Mother/Son) Pirate Party. We had fun dragging out all the pirate gear from last year and Cole's 3rd birthday and even adding to it a bit. The moms didn't go as "all out" this year as we did last year. But we did still have our "pre-party" on the Mesa Rosa patio to drag out the fun!

Here are some pictures before we left the house...when the boys still liked their accessories! They lost the patch and earrings fairly quickly. Cole said the patch made his eyeball sweat!

Cole's friend Andrew joined us because there was an 8-year old girl slumber party going on at his house...yuck!

My little mateys...

Travis' most menacing pirate snarl!

Easter Sunday

HAPPY EASTER!

Bluebonnets

Palm Sunday

GG and Grandpa came for a weekend visit! We had lots of fun watching the boys' games, shopping, eating out and celebrating GG's birthday!

Here's a couple of pictures before church on Sunday...

Rainbow in our Backyard

Our very own beautiful rainbow right off our back porch!

Backyard Campout

For Shayne's birthday, Gran and Pop gave him a new "family size" tent. The boys couldn't wait to try it out in the backyard over Spring Break. And boy is it rooooooooomy!! Plenty of room for us ALL to sleep ALL night outside. (Thanks a lot Mom and Dad! Ha!) The days of Mommy slipping inside at 9 p.m. are over now!

Travis reading us a bedtime story...it worked like a charm on Shayne!

The Alamo

Travis studied Texas History this year in First Grade, so we'd take a Spring Break daytrip down to San Antonio to The Alamo.

My little Texan History buff in front...

Waiting patiently in the loooooooong line...

A pic of the whole family. Funny story...I unwittingly asked an Amish boy standing in line with his family behind us to take this picture. I wasn't thinking (obviously) and I think his mother was horrified. But I think he did a pretty good job for someone who's never used a camera before. Shayne said that was the wildest thing he would do on his Spring Break and would have something to tell all his friends.

It was Travis' idea to bring his coonskin hat from home so he could wear it for a picture. Not many of the pictures from inside turned out very well. But I thought this was so cute.

Yellow Belt!

Travis earned his yellow belt this week! We're all so proud of him and how seriously he takes his karate lessons. Fortunately for us, the new owner of the studio held a little graduation for all the kids receiving a belt promotion to show off some of their skills. It was neat how much of a ceremony he made getting a new belt. It made Travis' accomplishment all the more special.

Cowboy Cookout

Shayne was Cole's guest at the annual Father/Son Cowboy Cookout his preschool put on. What a big day it is! The kids work on "Texas" artwork and decorations leading up to the big day. Cole left the house in his black felt cowboy hat that matches his boots, but couldn't quit saying he wanted it to be blue. Well, that's silly, I told him. Whoever had heard of a blue cowboy hat? Turns out his teacher had stacks of them! He'd been eagerly anticipating the chance to wear a blue one! Soooo, I just admitted defeat and took the black one home. I know when I can't win these days.

Mmmmmm...hot dog!

Daddy and his little buckaroo

Cruise

Shayne and I took a short cruise to Cozumel, Mexico to celebrate our 12th anniversary and Shayne's birthday. We had a great time. It was fun to get away for a bit!

Music Makers

Cole's preschool hosts "Music Maker" every year so that the parents may attend music class and see some special songs. Here is a little video of Cole using rhythm sticks. As you can see, the boy does have some rhythm...

Cole loves Music and most especially his teacher, Mrs. Crawford. So he was very happy to show off his moves.

Play ball!

We're officially a two-athlete family now. For the first time, Cole is playing on a team of his own and we're dividing our time between the two boys' activities. Cole is playing t-ball and Shayne is his coach. Travis decided that he wanted to play soccer again. So tonight marked the first night of many that Shayne and I went to two different sports fields for practice. This is the start of a new era for us. We're hoping their game schedules don't conflict.

80's Party

My friend Ginger threw an 80's themed birthday party on Saturday night. What a great time we all had putting together our outfits! Shayne and I found a great website with 80s t-shirts and got these two from Sixteen Candles and Karate Kid. And the accessories were easy to find as all the stores are carrying this stuff...I can't believe it's come back again!

We had our babysitter take a few pics before we left. She got quite a kick out of our getups...

Shayne with the 80s style redneck mullet!

He had the best hair of the night!

I tried to crimp my hair, but it didn't take very well. I can't believe anyone ever did that on purpose. Our boys didn't really know what to think of us looking like this. Travis in particular didn't really like my shirt. I don't think he liked the idea of me loving anyone else besides Shayne. But we told him it wasn't a real person...just a character from a movie.

The birthday girl, Ginger with her preppie man, Trey.

Thanks for a great party, you guys!

We had a blast.

Literature Day

Today was Literature Day at Travis' school. The children got to dress in the costume of their favorite character from a book. For many reasons, not the least of which was simplicity, we chose to go with The Cat in the Hat...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Addressing Valentines

This year's choices are...

Scooby Doo for Travis

and...
"Cars" Lightning McQueen for Cole

Extreme Half-Bath Makeover

I was itching for some change and with limited funds and even less time, I thought it best to tackle the smallest room in the house: the half-bath downstairs.

Before...

And after...

Before...

And after...

Extreme Fun

Cole and I joined some friends at an indoor playplace called, Extreme Fun today. I think Cole agreed it was aptly named. Only one small problem...the foam pit ate his socks right off his feet. After digging for them for a bit, I decided we were better off without them than to dig any further...

My 34th (Surprise) Birthday

Happy birthday to me!

Shayne really outdid himself this year and planned a great surprise party for me downtown. All I knew for weeks was that he'd arranged for the boys to stay all night with my aunt and we were going "somewhere." Later I learned he had a hotel room at the Hilton downtown and we were going "out." Well that's a treat in itself...a night out with no responsibility! But what I didn't know was that he'd conspired for weeks with some of my best friends to make a big party of it!

At the Iron Cactus

Jessica, Julie, Mindy, me and Ginger

We had dinner at the Iron Cactus (yummy), and then had tickets to Esther's Follies (hilarious), then headed on down to Pete's Piano bar to sing away the rest of the night. Thank goodness the Hilton was only blocks off of 6th street! Shayne gets "Husband of the Year" award for this one! I'm so blessed to have the best husband and the best friends in the world.

Cole's Half Birthday

Since Cole has a summer birthday, he never gets to have his "special day" at school. Last year, his teachers celebrated all the summer birthdays on the last day of school, but that was a little confusing. So his teacher this year suggested that we celebrate his 1/2 birthday. And today, Cole is officially 3 1/2!

I was fully prepared to make some sort of racecar cupcake...but Cole surprised me by saying he wanted something "sharky" for his special snack. Sooooo, I made blue jello cups and submerged gummy sharks into them.

The shark snacks were a hit and Cole enjoyed having some special attention. He's just disappointed he doesn't get presents! Gotta wait until July for those!

A Visit to the Bear Pit

We were in Waco on Sunday afternoon and had some time before meeting my family for dinner, so we pulled into the Baylor campus so I could show the boys around a bit, as they'd only ever seen it from the interstate.

Of course the most exciting thing to see is the bear, and the bear pit has been MUCH improved since I'd last seen it. And the bear showed off for us quite a bit!


Travis had his sketch pad with him and decided to whip off a quick sketch of the bear.

Later, Travis said that he might like to go to college at Baylor someday...Cole said that he might like to go bear hunting someday. That's a perfect illustration of how different the two boys are!

Crazy Hat Day

Travis' school had Crazy Hat Day on Thursday with each student wearing a hat they created. There were 10 categories into which the hats could fit, and Travis and I decided that we'd try for "Most Texan" And I'm proud to say he won his category!

We have a winner!

He's so proud of his $5 gift card to Shakes!

Cute...

Cole got this little singing deer for Christmas and we hear this EVERYDAY! He looooooves it, so I had to get his "Best Shot" song on video...

(scroll down and pause the blog music so that you can hear)

Pile on Daddy!

Handsome Litte Dudes!

No special occasion, just thought the boys looked especially handsome in their sweater vests for church this morning...

Wild boys!

For the last hunting trip of the season, the boys thought it would be fun to have their face painted like Daddy's when he bowhunts. Love these wild boys!!!

Happy New Year!

We rang in the New Year at the cabin with Gran and Pop. It was very low key and low tech. There's not even a clock there, so except for our watches, we wouldn't have really known when it was midnight. Not that any of us stayed up until midnight! We celebrated with the boys' first firework experience...sparklers! We got the extra long variety so that they wouldn't burn their hands. Each boy got to burn three apiece and they were a hit!

Christmas Morning

The boys must have been extra good this year, because when we woke up on Christmas morning GG and Grandpa's living room was filled with toys, games and books!

The big present Santa brought was a Nintendo Wii. He even left a note taped nearby that specified it was for "both of them" and that they were "expected to share nicely." Santa said he likes it when brothers get along! We saved the note for when (not if) we need to pull it out as a reminder...

"Oh yeah! We got a Wii!!!"

A little Mario Kart Racing

And a little Trophy Deer Hunting!

Christmas Eve Part Two

After church and family pictures, it was time to get into Christmas jammies and get on with the good part--presents!

But first...pizza!

Cousins!

L-R: McKenzie, 6; Gray, 1; Morgan, 4; Travis, 7; Cole, 3

Travis and McKenzie


Cole and Morgan



Many hours of opening presents later...it was time to set out some milk and cookies for Santa and hop in bed and cover up your head!

Christmas Eve

It's tradition Christmas Eve to attend the early evening Mass, then return home for pizza and presents. Here's some pictures of everyone all dressed up...

A rare shot of Mommy and her boys!

Our family and the "Year of the Cream Sweaters"

With GG, Grandpa and cousins, McKenzie, Morgan and Gray.

Tracking Santa's flight path on Grandpa's computer.

A loooooong roadtrip!

We drove 14+ hours from East Texas to Georgia. We got off to a bit of a rocky start, stopping 3 times before getting out of Texas, but after that it was pretty smooth sailing. The boys had the DVD to keep them occupied, but by the time these pictures were taken (around Atlanta) they'd had about enough of being cooped up in the car!

Christmas at Gran & Pop's

We did Christmas early with my family this year. We drove to Gran and Pop's as soon as the boys got out of school for Christmas break. Then we woke up the next morning and launched into the huge piles of presents under Gran's tree...

Travis enjoying a new DS game!

Velcro Nerf Darts from Matt and Emily!

Don't know which set of kids liked them more...

The pony Cole saw on tv and desperately wanted. He named him Ranger and fed him an apple. Thanks Granny and Pappy!

Just my size :)

Cole proud to present Pop with a gift from us...new camo clothes!

Gran opening her present from us...

With Granny and Pappy


Lightning McQueen slippers and pjs! Thanks Uncle Matt and Emily!

Merry Christmas to All!

"May your days be merry and bright!"

Love,

The Myhand family

2008

Grinch Plate

One gift I gave myself this year was to have the boys' footprints turned into art at a Pickle Pants Pottery party. The artist took Travis' footprint (in green) and Cole's footprint (in brown) and turned them into The Grinch and his dog, Max. I LOVE this new Christmas decoration and will treasure it for years to come! We love The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and hopefully this will help remind us that "...Christmas doesn't come from a store. Perhaps Christmas means a little bit more."

A little warmup...

Since we're never at home for Christmas, we've adopted the tradition of letting the kids open a few presents from "us" the week before we travel. That way we don't have to pack anymore presents than necessary and they get a little taste of what's to come!

Travis delighted over a new DS game to take on the trip!

Cole delighted over a black felt cowboy hat!

Walk through Bethlehem

Our church recreated the little town of Bethlehem complete with a marketplace and live nativity. Both boys loved it! Some of the highlights are pictured in the slideshow above. Note how Cole is darting away from the camel in one photo...his least favorite part were the live animals. Travis really thought it was cool that the three Wise Men came up to him and asked if he knew where the baby called "Jesus" was. They posed for a picture and afterwards Travis whispered to me, "They're from the East, you know." The carpenter was really in character, too. He told the boys about a manger he'd recently made for an innkeeper's stable. And he'd heard that a baby was using it for a bed. Cole's eyes got wide and said, "That might be Jesus' sweet head." (His class sang Away in a Manger for their Christmas program on Friday.)

Christmas Programs

Both the boys had their school's Christmas program on the same day this year. Cole's was in the morning and as always, being a preschool, was well organized chaos.

Cole--center in the red and green untucked shirt. It was a rookie mistake sending a 3 year old boy in a shirt that needed to remain tucked in. He looked a bit dishevled. Shayne whispered, "Who is that kid's mother?" Funny thing though, if this had happened with my first child, it would've been a disaster to me. With the second child, it was merely unfortunate. I'm mellowing.

Our little singer.

The 3 year olds performed Away in a Manger, Oh Christmas Tree and Up on the Housetop

Travis' program was that evening and held in a church sanctuary. It was A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a very reverent service first held at King's College in 1918. It was a lengthy worship service requiring audience participation and a good bit of it was in Latin. We arrived early to get a good (front row) seat for videoing and soon realized that the balcony might have been a better choice to wrestle a bored 3 year old. But, when Travis' class made their appearance, we were glad to have such a great vantage point for photos.

The first grade performed Away in a Manger and Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Our little caroler back home in front of the tree.

Cole's preschool ornament

A new ornament handmade by Cole in preschool. He told me he glued every puzzle piece all by himselft. And he thinks it was so lucky he was wearing his favorite train shirt on the day the photo was taken!