Thomas the Train!

Saturday was a day Jeff and I had been looking forward to for a long time. We took Luke and Nathan to see Thomas the Train in Rusk, TX. Luke LOVES Thomas and we could not wait to see his sweet face when he got to see Thomas "in person." It really was a great day! I'll have to say that Luke was not quite himself since he was just getting over the flu but we had a great time anyway! Much of the time I think he was so amazed that he was not sure what to do!

Here we are, on the way (Nathan napping)...

Luke kept saying, "We go see Thomas and Sir Topham Hat!"
Daddy driving us...

On the train...

Checking things out...

Starting to warm up...

Hey this is fun!

Nathan had more fun playing in the seats!

The staff was so nice and made it even more fun for the kids. Partway through the ride they had all the kids "choo-choo" up and down the aisle. I was so proud of Luke for getting out there with the other kids and really enjoying himself! Later, he got in the aisle and danced to the Thomas music with one of the staff ladies :)

Thomas...

Daddy and Luke checking things out...

Thomas...

The scenery was really pretty, a nice change...

After a lunch of corn dogs and lemonade, we made it back to the truck to head home...

Luke's answer to "Can I take your picture?" He covered his face, followed by a "NO!" Nap time anyone?

Mommy and Daddy made it too!

It was a great day!

Video

Saturday night we enjoyed a pizza dinner. This is a video of the boys having some fun afterward. Nothing special, just a clip that made me smile.

Headed to Work

Nathan loves to play with my briefcase. He drags it around, even though it is almost as heavy as he is. Here are some pictures of Nathan headed to work.

Blowing me kisses bye-bye...

Maybe this means he will grow up to be a nerd (and make lots of money)!

It's A(nother) Boy!

A few months ago Jeff and I learned we are expecting another baby. Today, we found out it will be a boy! We are very excited and decided it was time to share the news with everyone. He is due March 3rd but, since I'll be having another c-section, will probably arrive some time during the last week of February. We've had his name picked out for a while, it's going to be Eli Cooper. Here are a few sono pictures:

The technician put a baseball cap on him...

Of course Jeff's next question was, can you put a football helmet on him?

Just saying hi...

Next year will be exciting and we are really looking forward to it!

Mmmmm...

A few weeks ago we got doughnuts for the boys for breakfast. It was their first official doughnut breakfast!

Chocolate covered, of course, with chocolate milk!

Go Rangers!

Thanks to tickets from Grammy and Papa, we were able to take Luke and Nathan to their first Rangers game! The boys did great, lasting until the 8th inning. Luke's favorite part was the music (he entertained people around him with his great dancing)! Thanks Grammy and Papa, we had a wonderful time!

I had to put this one in because if you have ever wondered where Luke's "monkey smile" came from, here is Jeff modeling it!
See what I mean? Monkey smile! and Daddy looking so innocent!

With Papa and Grammy! It's hard to get two wiggle worms to sit for a picture. Poor people in front of us were so tired of getting bumped from behind, I am sure!

What a fun night!

A First

Today was a big day for me. I know usually this blog is devoted to the boys and what's going on with them but I'll go ahead and share what happened for me today. Today I taught my very first college level class! I was nervous but everything turned out fine. The class is a masters level course so I had mostly (somewhat) older students, older than undergraduates at least! I have about 25 students and all are female except 2. They all seem nice, so far! This is a picture of the text we are using:

I'm pretty fortunate that my major professor worked it out for me to teach this course, since I have not graduated yet. It's great experience for me and I think will really help, personally and professionally. I never thought I would be interested AT ALL in teaching at the college level but after a long talk with my major professor and expressing to him my concern about taking a full time, 8-5 type job, given that I have two little boys, he really encouraged me to try teaching at the university level. He explained that university teaching is really a lot like being self employed. If you need to leave early or work unconventional hours, you likely can. He explained to me how conducive it is to having a young family. So, here I am, conquering my fear of teaching adults. Who knows where it will lead, maybe no where but if it will allow me to have a flexible schedule for the boys, it may be something I really pursue after graduation. We'll see I guess! Also, the class meets on T/TH so I can continue my position in the lab. I think it's going to be good. The students are not as fun as third graders but maybe they'll do!