Fletcher's Birthday: Cali & Disneyland

For Fletcher's birthday & spring break

we went to California to visit the Sythoffs.

Nathan & Fin We (Wes' brother and his son)

were there too.

Playing with the trains on the floor.

Their favorite thing to fight over.

Fletcher's party: we invited Wes' cousins

and their kids over.

Here they all are, looking like Sythoffs.

And Leigh is the only girl!!

Happy Birthday!

Can you believe it's been 5 years??!!

Cupcakes (from Sam's Club) and vanilla ice cream.

"A-keet" is how Leigh says ice-cream.

Disneyland!

We took Jamie (Wes' sister) and Fin We.

I will only complain once:

We went during spring break- bad idea.

We rode 10 rides in 12 hours.  Bleh.

Trying to decide which line to stand in first.

Oops, I just complained again...

Getting ready for Autopia!

This ride was first introduced in 1955.

On the Autopia ride with daddy. 

Standing in line for the Matterhorn Bobsleds.

He closed his eyes very tightly during most of the rides.

When we got off, he would say, "Let's go again!"

"Nope!" we would say.

Not waiting in that line again.

Astro Orbiter ride.  The smiles are priceless.

Aboard the Mark Twain Steamboat.

The only ride we didn't have to wait

in line for!  Woo-hoo!

Sitting aboard the Disneyland Railroad.

When we first arrived at the park,

we couldn't get close enough to take a picture.

So we took one on the way out.

At 9 PM.  So exhausting.

Proof of exhaustion.

Fin & Fletch asleep against Jamie in the back seat.

We flew Jet Blue.

Ah, to fly without kids again.

T'would be a dream.

We did enjoy the screens on the back of each chair,

and unlimited snacks!

Videos!

A long-lost post!

One of us (Wes or Sara) started this post but never completed it.

These are for Grandma and Grandpa in California, mostly.

But I suppose you can all enjoy...

These videos are from January of this year.

Posting these, now in May, it's crazy how much Leigh has grown.

We have a video of Fletch at 8 months in this chair,

spinning and making the EXACT same noises.

Watch closely: in this last video Fletcher picks his nose (and eats it) at the very end.

February and March Pictures!

Hello, everyone!  Sorry for our long delays.

Here's what we've done in the last three months:

- Agreed to buy a house from some dear friends

- Found someone to sub-let our apartment

- Packed and moved out of our apartment

- Moved into my dad's house with him for 6 weeks

- Finalized the contract on the house

-Vacation to California for a week

- Moved out of dad's house, and into our new house

Whew!

In the meantime, we took some photos and tried to live normally.  Ha!

Snow day!

In the midst of packing, we got out our sand toys
(hey, we live in Texas!) and played for a while.
No school for Fletcher and no work for Wes.

At my dad's with cousin, Natalie.

Natalie is 8 months younger than Fletcher,

and Leigh loves to play with her.

Leigh in my dad's garage.

The weather became warm while we were

living with my dad, and I had to bring out the hat

to protect that little bald head.

"Helping" Grand-daddy trim the bushes.

Gosh...

it's been a while.  Lots of pictures to share.  Lots of news.  We're buying a house, which is cool and also very stressful.  Anyone want to sublet our apartment?  heh-heh.

Fletcher is really enjoying school although I don't think his teacher always shares the sentiment.  The child is relentless.  She, Mrs. Touchstone, does a wonderful job, though.  I really can't fathom how a person can talk to a dozen 4-year-olds, all day, every day, for over 25 years.  Remarkable.

Leigh has become an alternatingly sweet and ornery little monkey.  Loves to read, demand food, cuddle, and demand more food.  Then she decides she doesn't like to eat food.  But then she says "Hi, Dada!" with a really cute smile and you forget that you were just about to start banging your head against a wall.

I'm still doing the writing thing for the workforce board, but now also proofread and edit a graduate student's (and friend's) work, and am about to have my first book published:  WonderDads Austin (shameless plug; you can order it here:  http://www.wonderdads.com/activityguides.asp).

Sara has been doing a lot of painting and house fixer-upping lately, as well as watching a friend's baby (little Zoe, pictures later).  She also has the unenviable task of dealing with little Baby Leigh for most of the hours of most of the days of the week.  The sweet lass still has time to whip up delicious soups, salads, and smoothies for everyone, if you can believe it.

The holidays were a bittersweet time for us due to Sara's mother's passing last year; thanks for the thoughts and prayers that many of you sent our way.  Fletcher really got into the spirit this year, and we continue to really enjoy having Sara's family and some really close friends around.  So that made the holidays sweet.

Happy New Year to all of you and please enjoy these pics from the last few months - it's going to be an exciting 2011.

 No face-painting for Fletch - you can't fit a road on your face.

These two can cause some trouble.

Here's baby Zoe (Leigh says "Zho-Zho") telling Leigh what's up.

At our first parade - the day after Thanksgiving.  Cold but fun.

 Zho-Zho's parents, Ruben and Melissa, joined us at the parade - they're good peeps.

 Sweet bald baby holding plastic bald baby.

Christmas Day with cousins (someone looks a little excited). 

This photo doesn't capture the rapture Fletch was experiencing at this moment.  

The man is a sucker for a Hot Wheels play set.

I couldn't choose which of these to share so I chose them all.