The Synnott's

SUPER LATE....

2012-01-21T18:04:00.002-06:00

Christmas and Birthdays came and went and I was none the wiser to update my blog for friends and family. So here goes my picture and video montage!

First up is the boys Christmas Party at school. They had a book exchange and decorated cookies. I absentmindedly wrapped the boys book to exchange at school in Cars wrapping paper and John had a melt down because he wanted the Cars wrapping paper. He cheered up when pizza and cookies came around.

Then Brian and I decided for their birthday we would put their bunk beds together! They love them and have not fought over who gets the top bunk. Right now John is up there!

Then came Christmas Eve at the Synnott's. We had so much fun opening presents with the family. The boys got so many things that they were still opening gifts when everyone walked away thinking we were done.
:-)

Christmas Morning... Good and bad
Santa came but John didn't think so since there were ONLY 3 gifts under the tree.
Reminder for mom and dad to not do Christmas and birthdays so close together next year!!!

Brandon in his Christmas bath, they got bubbles in their Stocking from Santa.

Next up is Christmas Day at my parents... Again, so many gifts the boys didn't know what to play with! They were a little overwhelmed by Christmas Eve and Christmas morning that they were a tad bit cranky at Grandad and Jojo's house. But all in all, it was a great Christmas!

Morning of their 4th birthday....BIKES

We headed over to my parents, they have a gated house so they were able to ride around with me not worrying about cars! They loved it!!

And the next day....

Mommy really wants school to start back up!

The annual snow day in our neighborhood.

And we will end pictures with this one... NO IDEA!

His Kids Christmas Program 2011 Video

2011-12-16T12:29:00.000-06:00

This was the boys very FIRST performance ever. I have to say I was a proud mother to see my children up there singing and doing hand motions. Brandon is a stable animal (cow) and John is...well, John. He does not like to dress up so he didn't!!

4th Birthday Party

2011-12-15T14:22:00.001-06:00

The boys celebrated their 4th birthday on the 10th so all their friends would be in town! We finally decided not to have the party outside in December and had it at their gymnastics place! They had so much fun and are still talking about it!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-11-22T09:47:00.002-06:00

Ready for the Holidays

2011-11-22T08:00:00.009-06:00

Well its that time again, Thanksgiving and sickies! Every year around this season one or both of the boys gets sick. I don't know if it is allergies or how the weather goes from warm to cold to warm in one day!! Even with not feeling well we are ready for the holidays! First up was the boys Thanksgiving Feast at school. The boys did great and did not fuss or cry once, it was truly a great time and they even saw themselves on the big screen telling us they were thankful for mommy and daddy (melt my heart).

We have not been to the zoo in a while so Friday we headed out with Jojo for an outing in great weather!! The boys had so much fun and walked the whole time (a feat in its self)!!

Saturday we packed up and headed to the Polar Express. The boys had a great time looking at and riding a real train!

I also had to add in some videos to document them singing. It is so fun to hear them at this age!!

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HALLOWEEN 2011

2011-10-31T19:18:00.005-05:00

My bad, the pictures are backwards but it still shows how much fun the boys had this year for Halloween! This was the first actual Halloween that the boys ran to each house and said trick or treat and thank you and even held their bucket the whole time. What a difference a year makes. Can not wait till next year when we might wear pj's for costumes :-)

catching up!

2011-10-26T12:36:00.007-05:00

Well I have been gone for a pretty long time. Not to sure why I have not updated, I guess I just never make it to the office where the computer is. Anyhow, the boys are great. They are loving their new school and always talk about the girls in the class.... that a boy(s)! Here are some pictures of everyone,my mom included. If you did not know, she was diagnosed with breast cancer this year and is in the last stages of treatment (ending the 11th of November). I am now able to include her photos ;-)

Fun at the Pine Forest Pool (it was FREEZING)

It's Fall ya'll!!!!
Silly String
Shaving cream paint
PUMPKINS

I am growing out my hair, my apologies for the hairdo... I got a pixie cut when my mom shaved her head!

Ready for the Noah's Ark parade at school

Did not want to wear the masks!!! BOO

ABC's

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Summer is OVER!!

2011-08-26T11:29:00.007-05:00

Before school started I wanted to take the boys to see my family in West Texas. Uncle B, the boys and I flew up there and then drove back three two days later with my dad. It was a super fast trip but very good and was very happy the boys got to see everyone again since last time they saw them they were 10 months old! Here are some photos from our trip.

John took this picture

Pictures for school taken today

ice painting

2011-08-05T16:02:00.004-05:00

The pictures are not great but I wanted to show you what the boys did on a hot summer day other than stay in their undies all day. We froze paint (your suppose to do this is ice cubes trays but I did not have any) and they painted till it all melted!

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JULY WAS CRAZY

2011-07-26T08:24:00.013-05:00

We are at the end of July and I can not believe it!! We have been busy every weekend and trying to fill our weeks with stuff to do. The boys went to the dentist for the first time, we went to the lake with Brian's family, went to the lake with my family as well for the 4th, celebrated Brian's birthday and just played around. Needless to say I am excited for school to start but have been having fun watch my boys grow up every single day. They have finally decided to hang out on the boat and are just really having fun together.

The boys had their first dentist appointment on daddy's birthday. I was very nervous about going and seeing how the boys would react. They both did great. I had to hold John while getting his teeth cleaned but we made it through without any screaming!!! This is the only picture I got of him afterward.

Brandon was such a big boy. Did everything he was told and never moved. I think he was a little shell shocked!
Playing at the splash pad in our neighborhood. We need to visit ti much more often but it is just too dang hot even for that right now.
John didn't want to get wet that day....
At the lake with "BIG MABLE" its a huge hit with the boys

AWE

Playing around at homeI enrolled the boys in soccer tots and the first class went well and from their it has been hard. I am putting them in gymnastics for now rather than soccer but will visit this again soon.

Hanging with the Synnott/Ashby clan at the lake

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just something to pass the time

2011-06-23T11:15:00.001-05:00

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I'm losing my mind!

2011-06-08T10:19:00.009-05:00

I think I start every blog by saying "where has the time gone". I only posted one blog in May not maybe two in April. I am falling behind and I can't believe it. I thought I would be a much better blogger but time is just going to fast and I forget to get on the computer and blog about what the boys have been up to. Much is the same right now other than its summer and they are not in school which is the reason for the title of this blog. I love that it is summer, the boys need this time but do mothers of toddlers? I know I will sing a different tune when they go to school 5 days a week!! May was good to us. We had a lot of fun and it went by too fast.

Mothers Day was a great time. Before the actual day we went over to Kristy and her sons Zack's house for play time. They had a blast visiting with Zack and making mothers days cards for Jojo and Nana.

My little artists!!
We also have been playing with play dough, I just thought it was cute.

For Memorial Day we headed up to the lake, the boys have been looking forward to going all winter. They no longer have anything to do with the BIG blow up pool we bought, all they care about is getting in the lake. I even got a picture taken of me...

LOVE IT
NICE FORM

Cool dudes!

We have not had many outdoor toys for the boys to play on. We live next to a great park and Nana has a pool so we have not really done much but since the boys are big on being outdoors we decided to get a trampoline. They really like it!

Nice and blurry but you get it.

We finally took a Peek family trip to Breckenridge. Brian, the boys, my mom and dad, Aunt Nini and Uncle B and I all headed up to the mountains this past week. The boys did great with the plane rides and the altitude. All they wanted to do though was swim in the pool. Brian always tells me that when he went on family vacations as a little boy all he did was swim no matter if they were at Disney World or a water park. All he wanted to do was swim in the hotel pool. Well the boys are not much different. We did go eat out and go to the park and the children's museum. But in Breckenridge in June there is NOTHING TO DO. We were all well rested and shopped a little. I will say Aunt Nini and Uncle B entertained the boys. The boys are still talking about them. I forgot to take a lot of pictures... I just forgot to carry around my camera. Sorry!!

Thats all folks.....

Where did it go?

2011-05-01T20:33:00.013-05:00

Not to sure where April went, I turned around and it was May 1st. April was just a whirl wind and we did a lot of fun and exciting things with friends (new and old) and family. First things first, last night April 30th the boys slept in big boy underwear for the first time ever with out accident. I know I am jinxing myself but how exciting, they just grow up too fast. The boys are enjoying swim class, school, friends, family, parks and the semi nice weather. We spent a lot of April in water, summer seems to have come early in Texas. I wish spring was still here without all the allergies. We also have started a responsibility chart with the boys. Teaching them to put on their own clothes, table manners, sharing and cleaning. IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS!!! I hope May brings as much activity and fun but pray the boys don't try and test me as they have been in the past. They are truly becoming their own person these days. Enough of me just blabbing, here are some much needed pictures!!

The boys love to swim and love going to swim class. They are doing so well and show us how much they can learn.
But they are still boys....

My boys!!! IM IN LOVE

Bad idea of letting him paint inside. The wind has been crazy so this was my solution... I had to watch him like a hawk.
John is a sports fanatic. Loves to play anything, so fun!!Cool dudeWe had Rachel over one day and played at the park. Brandon and Rachel are great friends!

MONKEYS
John now smiles on command and smiles when he walks into a room!! he had a good time with Aunt Katie

Easter Egg Hunt in our neighborhood. Egg hunt #1

Where's Brandon?

John liked the Easter Bunny, Brandon had nothing to do with him
Ellie and John
Brandon, Julia and Rachel
Cowboy
Cutie

Best Friends
This was the majority of the egg hunts they did, Brandon looking for eggs, John eating everything piece of candy. This was egg hunt #2 at my parents house

My new friend Kristen had us over to hunt eggs and play. We had such fun!!!
Egg hunt #3
Lots of eggsFirst peepEaster picture with the cousins
Planting wild flowers for Earth Day
Egg Hunt #4 at Brian's parents house. They loved running around with their cousins then swimming off the energy they got from all the candy

Best Friends, super cute picture
Gardening Gala at the Lamb School.

John
John and Brandon with their AWESOME teachers Mrs. Brackney and Mrs. Keifer
After the Gardening Gala we went to get snow cones with our friend Zach and his mom Kristy. Those boys have so much fun together

It's my birthday month!!

2011-03-31T16:25:00.011-05:00

So a lot has been going on in my life. The boys are growing up too fast and Brandon has decided he can do anything and everything he wants with no consequences. He is driving me bonkers but then he will walk up to me and say "I love you....so much" and my heart melts! John is always telling me he loves daddy, poor mommy. He is all about dribbling a ball and wanting to play outside when Max and Ruby is not on. I just had knee surgery and am finally feeling like I can get back to helping out around the house. I still have a lot of stiffness but have therapy three times a week to help that out. Speaking of therapy, the boys therapy is just running along great. No big news there. So I thought I would just share some pictures of the boys as of late. Not to much has changed with them but they are still as cute as ever! However, this is AWESOME...

My two Picasso's Aqua Sand, cool stuff

Brandon is such a ham, as you will see in some photos

John on a horse!!! For all of 10 seconds but it was cute

The boys love inflatables, they are able to get around pretty well on their own which makes mommy happy. Brandon took this picture of John Ham...

Bad Blogger

2011-03-20T10:02:00.002-05:00

Sorry I have not been blogging about what has been happening with the boys. Life has gotten a little out of control. Nothing I am ready to let the whole world know about but it has been a at the forefront of my life so the blog has been left alone for a bit. I have not taken picture of the boys or videos (i know, bad mommy). I just have been enjoying them without thinking about documenting it. So lets see what they have been up to... school is going great. They love going and have really come out of their shells. 3 years old is such a great age!! Brian and I are really enjoying having conversations with them and see how their little minds work. Yesterday my dad was saying how neat it was to watch John work through things, watching his thought process while Brandon just goes for it without thinking. They are so different but love each other so much. They always want to be with each other but can play alone. Brandon tells John that he loves him!! They are still in therapy and it is going really well. They have a little way to go on speech therapy but you can truly see how much therapy has helped them. This past week was spring break and we didn't do ANYTHING!! I know, its sad but we had fun just hanging out with family and being together. I did have minor surgery on mt knee Wednesday. It has hurt for a long time so I thought this was a good time to do it. It hurts but I am getting better every day. Nana and Jojo have been a great help and I can not thank them enough. The boys got to spend an afternoon with their cousins too and LOVED IT! They have so much fun. Daddy has been amazing as well. He has done everything and I am so impressed yet not because I know how great he is.
So basically life is CRAZY right now and I will try and keep up the blog but life might get in the way a little. The boys are great and I promise to put pictures up soon! Thanks for stopping by

And here we go...

2011-02-27T21:43:00.004-06:00

This is Brandon. This is the boy who wants to know how everything works and why. Is is just a little over three and the questions have begun. My favorite right now are: whatcha doing mommy/daddy? If I tell him the day of the week is Tuesday he will ask "where is Tuesday?" I will say it's a day of the week. "Where is the day of the week?" We go round and round but I love his inquisitive mind. This is John, he does not want to ask you how things work, he wants to figure it out all on his own. He still likes to play alone but will play with other just as well. He is in love with basketball right now has become more and more sure of himself. He will tell you what he wants and won't let down... hmm, I wonder where he got that?
My boys washing their cars. Yes, it is February and they are in swimsuits. Oh, and they are both POTTY TRAINED!!!!
Brandon had a blast
John decided to do other things.
We decided to head up to the lake for Presidents Day and grandad gifted them with their own fishing poles. Saying they were excited is an understatement. They had such a great time. We spent so much time down at the dock watching them cast!!

Great Picture!

And now a video of how fast my boys are growing. I can believe we are going to go have to by bikes soon!! But how exciting, they did so great!

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Life in pictures

2011-02-07T20:34:00.004-06:00

A little explanation: during potty training it was so nice out we HAD to get out of the house so this was my solution!!! By the way, they are potty trained, well at least during the day. I still put them in pull-ups during nap just in case but even at school they stay dry during nap. It really was not too bad getting through training 2 toddlers at once.

hehehe

Best picture by far of them together!

Day 3 and 4

2011-01-31T21:51:00.002-06:00

Day 3:
NO ACCIDENTS
Both boys did great and recognized that when they had the urge to pee pee that they needed to go to the potty. Brandon still does it mostly to show us he can and John is more just because he needs to go. However, Brandon doesn't get super excited after, he just wants his treat. John wants everyone to see what he did and gets super excited about it plus he wants his treat. It is really cute to see their minds at work trying to figure all this out.

Day 4: mommy all by herself
It's Monday and Brian went back to work. I prayed about this day and just asked for patience, persistent, and for the boys to understand and Praise the lord because He delivered. The boys woke up and did not want to take off their pull ups. For that fact I tried to compromise with them. Brandon wanted to just go watch tv and John wanted undies and shorts on. Since I thought their pull ups were went and guessed that they peed right when they woke up, I obliged with the request. At breakfast John had an accident but I did not get upset, just told him because he did that he had to go naked or just a t-shirt on and he was ok with it. The rest of the day went smoothly for both kiddos! No accidents and John told me when he needed to go and I still prompted him just in case. Brandon went when I asked and on his own as well.
The schedule was this: (just so I can remember)

Brandon: combo of prompting and doing his own thing
woke up at 7:30
8:30 pee
10:00 pee
11:00 pee on his own
11:45 pee
nap
2:45 pee
3:30 pee
4:30 pee
5:03 pee
daddy got home and I didn't keep track

John: mostly on his own....
8:00 accident
10:45 pee on his own
11:15 pee
nap
2:45 pee
3:30 pee
4:45 pee
5:35 pee
daddy got home and I didn't keep track

Tomorrow I take them to school in undies.... we shall see how they do. I have the backpacks packed with lots of extra clothes and have talked with them about tomorrow. I am nervous to make it to school with no accidents but they are doing so great!!

Potty Training- Day 1and 2

2011-01-30T09:14:00.002-06:00

WOW is really all I can say, I was not prepared for this!!! Everyone told me to be persistent and patient but dealing with two 3 year old wanting to do what they want to do and not listen to you is super hard and makes me nuts to be totally honest.

Day 1:
Both boys are so excited to please us so the morning was great. They would pee pee in the potty with no issue. We prompted them to go every 15-30 minutes. Brandon would go on command, John was and still is a little trickier. He has his own was of doing things and doesn't want to go when we try and make him. What my thinking is, is that he never was much of a pee-er (is that a word). He never had huge wet diapers like Brandon so i am guessing he doesn't have to go as often. Which I know all of you are saying "awesome". In hind sight I know it's great and easier but in my mind I thought both boys should go every thirty minutes or at least try and that was not working with John. Anyways, back to day 1, both boys woke up from nap in a pull-up dry which was great and when potty but then things went down hill. Brand on had an accident and John had 5. I was upset basically for no reason but I was, Brian took it in stride and has been my saving grace through this.

Day 2: crazy but better-
Boys woke up around 7 am and came down to see us, they are not ready to go potty right after waking up, they seem to do that in their pull-up right when they wake up and that's not something Brian and I are ready to take on. We know night time training will take a while. Brandon did not have any accidents and John only had one and it was at night during dinner. We even caught John pooping and sat him on the potty and he finished there with no problem. John did his first recognition about peeing in the potty. He told us he needed to go and went by himself. AWESOME. He still is not wanting to go on the potty and we are having some definite battles with him but we are all trying. Brian is still being the sane one in the family while I have my melt downs. Brandon drinks a lot just to go potty to get a prize (m&m, sweet tarts or bouncy balls). He is doing great but we prompt him to go to the potty as well. So I am guessing this potty training thing is going to take forever before we can leave the house. Tomorrow is a new day!!!
Pray for us all

It goes by too fast

2011-01-22T23:42:00.005-06:00

I really do not know where time has gone. One minute we are moving into our new house and celebrating our boys 3rd birthday, next I know it is almost February. I have not updated the blog in almost a month and am feeling a little off not being on my game as usual. So here are some photos of what we have been up to and don't forget to scroll down to view some videos of the boys!

John and I playing at the park before dinner. I don't doubt Brandon is trying to convince Brian of something.
Snow day in our new neighborhood!!! SUCH FUN and the boys can not wait to try out skiing now.

Best picture. This is how Brian and I feel most days, hahaha

Loving it!

AWE
When daddy is late we eat GOOD

We had the boys 3 year checkup as well and the new stats are:

Brandon:
weight- 37 pounds
height- 3 feet 2.6 inches

John:
weight- 3o pounds
height- 2 feet 11.6 inches

Pretty big difference but both are healthy and happy!
So as you can see we have not been up to anything different, just therapy (which is going great), school and playing! I am looking into new MDO program for the fall since we live pretty far from their current school and we are just trying to get back into the swing of things. Finding new places to play, going back to swim lessons, and playing with all our new toys. The boys are IN LOVE with the jeep and gator my parents got them for Christmas so after school we spend a lot of time over there. I know I am rambling but just trying to remember things... anyways goodnight!

And we are back...

2011-01-22T22:32:00.003-06:00

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3rd Birthday Party

2010-12-26T22:20:00.001-06:00

Their birthday party went by in a blur. It was cold, fun and tiring all at the same time. We went with a Go, Diego, Go theme. The boys asked for a red and blue Diego cake and I tried to deliver. It was a cute cake but not very tasty but some of the kids ate it anyways!
Good friends, Brandon and Zack
We of course rented a jumper and they loved it. I had other things for them to do like make animal masks and save the animals from the snow but they didn't really care about it. With a jumper and a park, the kids were in heaven.

SANTA came to visit
Trying to get John to see Santa YAY
Brandon and Rachel, crazy cousins
The snow
My little boy
Great pic!
SANTA
Love this!
bye bye santa
So the story goes... my grandad use to go around his town dressed as Santa and visit the children. When my grandmother passed my grandad gave the suit to my dad to use! He put it to great use for the boys birthday and it was such a hit! Almost every kid sat on his lap, if they didn't sit they were very curious. Here is my mom and brother getting him ready.
My mom and Santa

***sorry about the picture format, I did not take any pictures so there are borrowed***

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T21:28:00.009-06:00

What a crazy Christmas holiday we have had. We were blessed to spend time with family and enjoy each other but we did have little sickies around. John started getting a fever on Tuesday and lasted through Saturday (Christmas day). I think he has an ear infection and I am taking him to the doctor tomorrow (on his birthday). Brandon so far is ok but got a fever last night so we are watching him closely.
Anyways, we spent Christmas Eve over at Brian's parents. We had a blast hanging out and opening gifts. Brandon and John of course opened their first gift and it has stayed their favorite gift ever since. Brandon got a car he can take apart with a drill and put back together. John got a Little People car ramp.
I cut all my hair off last week, what do you think? I am not so sure about it! Back to Christmas... I love Christmas tree decorations!

The "gifts"

Family

This was John all weekend and sad to say still is, always needing mommy when he is not feeling well.

John perked up after getting some meds and decided to play ball with Grandma Sally

Christmas day we went to my parents and ate Turdunken!!!! Brandon was such a great helper opening gifts and John of course found another toy to obsess over.

"obsession"

The big gift.....

They got cars to drive and LOVED them. They ask to go back to ride them all the time. They stay and Grandad and Jojo's

This was John most the afternoon on Christmas

We got home and Santa came to visit.
ROCKET POWER

Brandon not feeling so well.... oh no, here we go again.

And.... were back

2010-12-17T15:52:00.006-06:00

It has been awhile!
We moved into our new home last weekend and am now getting ready to throw the boys a birthday party tomorrow. Can I say we are STRESSED!
Anyhow, I wanted to show you some picture of the house, excuse the mess :-)

First, don't you just love the boys Christmas shirts
Sorry about John's face.
Only picture I could get of Brandon, he is wearing his shirt too but he would NOT let me get a picture of it.
Packing... well, toddler packing.
all tuckered out and nowhere to sleep in the new house.
Finally looking a little festive. Had to decorate to make it feel like home in the midst of unpacking.

Our "study" in the master bedroom
Boys room, I will get around to decorating soon
Changed out the place mats for a tablecloth
Our room
Finally looking like we live here!
MY KITCHEN

The beginning of Brian's entertainment center
New place mats

Lots and lots of bookshelves
I now have a train boarder on the left wall... pictures coming
Brian's Study

Holiday Season Is Upon Us.

2010-12-05T14:42:00.004-06:00

Since we are moving and have no Christmas decorations up I decided to get the boys a small tree. They picked out their favorite color, Brandon's is blue and John's is Red.

What a great picture: FINALLY

Getting ready...

2010-12-05T14:12:00.005-06:00

This weekend we are going to be MOVING. We are renting a truck and getting it DONE!!!

I have been trying to take picture of the house as we get a new kitchen, new entertainment center, new paint and some new carpet. It has been long and stressful but we see the light at the end of the tunnel. We WILL be in by the 18th of December. I am so excited to spend the holiday on our new house. First order of business in the new house is potty training.... Oh my!

This is Brian's study with a new coat of paint called steady brown.
The game room before:The game room after: later will knock out this wall about 5 feet to add a little room for the boys.
This is looking into the master bedroom from the master bath, yes we have our own personal fireplace... romantic (hehehe).
before:
After:

Dining room before: Dining room after: if you notice the bottom half and ceiling is the color of Brian's study which is across the hall and Brian's study ceiling is the color of the upper portion of the dining room called restrained gold. Light fixture has got to go!

Kitchen before:
Kitchen progress:
black island
grey cabinets

new granite called sapphire brown
back splash is slate
still needing a sealer

MORE TO COME AS I CAN GET IN THE HOUSE AND CLEAN AND TAKE MORE PICTURES!!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T11:08:00.005-06:00

I don't have many pictures from Thanksgiving. I am usually a camera nut but this time around I was taking care of my little ones while they were getting over colds and John had an ear infection. Needless to say Thanksgiving was all about giving thanks to family for putting up with cranky kids.
Thanksgiving Day was spend with Brian's side of the family. We always have so much fun seeing everyone and watching the boys and their cousins play so well together. It is always such fun catching up. I was still on fruit duty, in this family you make your way up the "food" chain. I did get to make some fresh green beans though!

Friday we went to the lake to meet up with my mom and dad and have our second Thanksgiving. The weather was cold but the boys loved playing outside and getting to see some friends. Brandon fished and John played with cars. Everyone was feeling better by the end of the week but my mother who is now sick!

Grandad bought them remote control cars to play with.

Finding things to do...

Come on Brian, you can do it.

Uncle B

2010-11-24T13:30:00.003-06:00

We went to go visit Uncle B on his side of town last week. The boys LOVE Uncle B and they had a blast hanging out with him and eating pizza!

I can NEVER get a good picture of Brandon John loves the camera these days

Where has the time gone?

2010-11-18T21:46:00.003-06:00

We have had A LOT going on lately and I am slightly stressed out but still trying to be a mommy! After school on Tuesday I took the boys to my favorite park in the Cypress area. I like it so much because not many people go and the boys can RUN and its shady!! The boys love it and we will go back often. There is also a tiny skate park and they boys loved watching the skate boards and bike more than anything. It just shows me whats to come!!
Thursday was the boys Thanksgiving Feast. It was great!! Such a difference from last year, there was no crying, not calling out for mommy, just fun!
The table was so cute, they had candles, napkin rings, cards telling what each child was thankful for. John's was classic!!!
Brandon
John

First ever picture taken with teachers. The boys FINALLY were happy, sitting and not wanting mommy that we were able to get a picture! To me that's a great milestone.

Update on the twins

2010-11-05T12:39:00.003-05:00

Brandon-

He is a talker and a busy body!

He is in LOVE with television right now. Go, Diego, Go is his favorite show right now, he is starting to like Little Einsteins too. The only problem with that is I don't like him watching so much tv. I am at fault for this because I am a tv girl. I am feeling more and more guilty everyday!! At least the weather is so nice right now I can try and get him outside. When I ask him to go outside he says "No, tv please".

His favorite saying right now is "feels better now". He will say something hurts and I will ask if he is ok and he says "feels better now" or I will say I don't feel good and he will give kisses and hugs and says "feels better now". Super cute!

I know he is ready to be potty trained but I am waiting till Christmas break.

He had his first session with speech therapy Monday. I thought it would just be simple and he would just have a tongue thrust issue BUT I was wrong. He has very weak mouth muscles. He primarily uses the muscles that are connected to his throat that move his tongue laterally. They are surprised he has not choked and they think that is due to his pacifier (see, it can be good for something). They say the reason that his face still has "baby fat" is because of all the weak muscles. Basically he chews forever and has a lisp. It can all be fixed though and he loves going to therapy because its a kids wonderland!

John-

John is doing amazing! He is talking more and is more confident.

Like his brother, John is loving television right now. His favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Go, Diego, Go. He wants a red Diego cake for his birthday next month. He likes to watch the same episodes over and over again.

He is talking so much more! He has seen his speech therapist probably 8-9 times and has over a 100 words easy. They might not all come out correctly but he is making such strides. His favorite word right now is Boo Boo, He says "boo boo, me fall school". He will tell everyone he see over and over again. He tells it to daddy every day when he gets home from work. Its cute! He also loves saying "all gone" and "nobody home".

He is also ready to be potty trained but waiting for Christmas break to take that challenge on! Pray for Brian and me!

As you know he is in speech therapy and he loves going because all he does is play and eat candy. I hear food therapy is great for speech. Each time he comes out of his session the therapist is all smiles and tells me he is doing great and even when he struggles he tries and tries. I am so proud of the little guy!

He is now also in Occupational Therapy. He has some issues with Sensory Integration. He has what is called Dyspraxia, basically poor motor planning which is the ability of the brain to conceive of, organize, and carry out a sequence of unfamiliar actions. He also has some tactile issues which create negative emotional reactions. When getting into occupational therapy I did not think John had problems, I thought he was sensitive and a little emotional but this makes total sense and I am so excited that he is getting help and can cope and work through these issues at such a young age.

I can not believe that the boys are fixing to turn three!!! They are growing up too fast.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T23:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween from the Synnott Twins!

I could not get any good photo's. Dying camera plus fast running boys don't make for a good combination!

Pre-Halloween 2010

2010-10-30T21:49:00.007-05:00

** Be warned, PICTURE OVER LOAD**

Friday morning was beautiful, upper sixties and sunny so we headed out to the pumpkin patch to meet up a friend. We had a blast BUT I could barely get good pictures because the boys would not stop moving. I was in such envy of the moms there that had all their kids all together getting a family picture or even just a cute shot of their kids. Mine would not sit still. We still enjoyed every minute. The next two pictures were taken a a friend of a friend with a really nice camera! John was a super cute Woody, I encourage pajama costumes :-)

The next two pictures are from a friend of a friend who had a fancy camera!!
Brandon found his dopple ganger and would not leave it alone!

Obsessive much?

Fancy camera lady again! After the pumpkin patch we headed to Brian's office to trick or treat. It was such fun to see daddy at work!

Nice Try

2010-10-26T12:32:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we went to Wings over Houston. It was cool for the 30 minutes we were there. Brandon didn't like the noise but it wasn't so bad that he wanted to leave. John hated the noise and kept saying HOME HOME! We will try again next year!!

Lamb School Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-22T13:30:00.005-05:00

Thursday was the boys school pumpkin patch. It was so fun this year because the boys didn't cry and just seemed to really enjoy playing and running around. Here are a few pictures of the event!

Their class!

MIA

2010-10-19T10:09:00.004-05:00

Like I said in the last post, I am sorry we have not been around with updates on the twins. The reason why is because we are buying this......

McDonald Farm

2010-10-19T09:55:00.005-05:00

Sorry we have not been around much and I don't have a lot of updates on the boys, life is just going which I guess is good. We did have a little bump in the road though... All of us got sick last weekend. Brandon got croup, we went to the ER for the first time and got him better ASAP but then week later he decided to throw up all over my car. The next day Brian started throwing up, then me and then John. So it was a whirl wind of a weekend and then we passed it along to my parents :-(

Anyhow, we got to go Zach's third birthday at the McDonald Farm, what a fun day!!!

Cutie Pies!!!

2010-10-05T22:15:00.003-05:00

Today was Fall picture day at school. Last year I had them match in Fall colors, this year we just went with adorable shirts. I know that the shirts will clash with the Fall background but I just don't care because they were so cute today!!!

Jojo bought the boys some cute stuffed frogs. The boys love them when daddy chases them with it... it is too funny and John laughs so hard that I just get this biggest smile on my face.
**sorry the pictures are bad quality, i really need a new camera**
***hint hint***

Is it Fall?

2010-09-30T16:18:00.003-05:00

I don't want to say it because it won't be true.
Has the weather really gotten better and Fall is on its way into town? The weather has been in the 80's, low humidity and cool night!
I just can't believe it!!!
Since we can go outside without sweating we have been spending a lot of time in the back yard.
John played while Brandon tried to help daddy out with some yard work.

We had lunch on the back porch.
And in other news the boys tried tacos for the first time and loved them. Super messy but so cute and funny.

Funny John

2010-09-20T14:39:00.002-05:00

There is this app on the iPhone for Talking Tom, it's a cat and it is a random app but the boys love it and it repeats what you say and this is all John will say to it....

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Playdate fun!

2010-09-20T14:13:00.007-05:00

Not sure why mickey is not turned the right way but this is John's new toy!

And this is Brandon's, this is because he is a big boy and no longer has a paci!! He still asks for them and is still a little temperamental when he doesn't get his was but we are trying to work on this.
In other news, on Friday of last week we went to K2 Academy. Love this place!!!

I have also decided what the boys will be for Halloween! Woody and Buzz Lightyear, however I am going to do it a little different. Since the boys are still young and don't understand Halloween and are not asking to go "trick or treating" I am letting them wear pj's. Yep, that's right.... Woody and Buzz Lightyear pjs. They will get so much more use out of them!!!

No more paci

2010-09-16T12:57:00.003-05:00

While I was away celebrating the long life of my grandmother, Brian (super dad) was at home watching the boys. What did he do while I was away? He got rid of Brandon's paci's! Brandon has not had his paci in over 3 days. He asks for them randomly and we just say he is a big boy and doesn't need one. He gets upset but we try and divert his attention to something else. Tomorrow i am going to take him to the store and get him a new toy for being such a big boy.... John too.

A Sad Day/ A Great Day

2010-09-11T21:41:00.002-05:00

Not only is the today the 9th anniversary our freedom was tested but today is the day my loving grandmother went home. She passed this morning and it breaks my heart. I love her very much and will miss her every day. She was a spitfire but that's what I loved about her the most! I could joke with her and she would just come right back at me. She was hard working, loyal, caring, spiritual, and most of all in love with my grandfather. Of all the many years they have been together they have never been apart, except for hospital stays. Today is the hardest day in my grandfathers life and I feel for him more than he will ever know. I wish I could fill that void he will feel but I pray God will watch over him and bring him comfort. Please keep my grandfather in your prayers! I know she is now in no pain and very very happy as I know she is in Heaven but she will be missed dearly.
I love you Granny!!!

This was taken when the boys were nine months old (those boys were chubby). She loved her great grandson very much. In her last month I visited her she had both of the boys pictures tucked away in a magazine on her bed.

In other news, 34 years ago today Uncle B (as we call him) was born. He is a goof ball and the boys love him like crazy!! Happy Birthday Brandon

To say the least, today has been a great and sad day.

Labor day and other happenings

2010-09-08T14:11:00.008-05:00

Crazy September!!!
September always starts out with celebrating my moms birthday. It is on the 1st, so its fitting. I will be getting to that since I put the pictures in random order.
So we will start with Labor Day weekend at the lake!

We got to go over to Todd and Jenny's and they fed us some amazing food and let us play on the jeepster while they took out our jet ski. John and Brandon loved it. John had to have me next to him while he tried it out and then got occupied with running up and down hills. Brandon only needed me for a moment while he got use to it. We will be getting some of these soon!!

The boys really enjoyed the lake a lot this time around. I guess with swim lessons they are a little more secure being around water. All they wanted to do was fish and jump in the lake.

oh, and fly kites too.

Now on to moms bday- we headed to the Aquarium! We spent three hours there and it was pretty fun, the boys were wild but really didn't disturb anyone!

Our air conditioner broke a couple of weekends ago so we spent the night with my dad (mom was out of town). Brandon loves Moby!
Painting of course! Trying to keep cool.
Since the house was still HOT we tried to nap upstairs, it didn't work but they were cute!

MDO 2010-2011 year

2010-08-26T10:23:00.003-05:00

Tuesday we headed over to the Lamb School to meet the teacher. The boys did so well. no crying and about 5 minutes into the visit they were off and playing.

I am one of those moms that can't get their toddlers to get together for a first day of school picture. They just don't want to have anything to do with it. They are learning to smile when I say "say cheese"... this is what I get.

That's the best I could get, no cute picture holding hands in front of the front door. SORRY!
if you like the boys shirts (Texans colors) head on over to pixie stitch
They make the cutest stuff!!

Cooling down...

2010-08-23T13:52:00.002-05:00

SYNNOTT STYLE!!!

Pool Time!

2010-08-19T21:13:00.004-05:00

We ventured out to the Noah's Ark pool today for the first time and I think this age is so great for this type of pool. They are adventurous enough to do things alone but won't run off to where I can not watch them. It was such a hit and we will go back!!! Ellie and Brandon getting ready to go down the slide!

Ellie helping John up the rope, after this he could do it alone but always loved to have me with him!

Brandon ran around so much it was hard to get his picture, in and out of tunnels, playing on things and jumping around.

The rainbow slide!!!!!

Fun times

Lets go!!!

Brandon wanted to be in the "big" pool

Julia and John

Watching 5 kids is hard work!!!

We had such a good time!

A few firsts

2010-08-18T14:27:00.004-05:00

Brian and I took the boys to their first "ball" game this past weekend. it was chaos but fun. John really wanted to run around an eat and Brandon was more into sitting down and watching his surroundings. Needless to say we will be waiting till next season before trying out a Texans game!

Also today both boys were able to float unassisted at swim lessons!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Staycation!

2010-08-08T21:20:00.013-05:00

What a busy week we had! Brian had a week off this past week due to getting a new job. So since we had daddy home we made the most of it and did as much as possible before the boys head back to MDO in a couple of weeks.
Lets see, Monday daddy went and had lunch with all his "old" co-workers so the kids had swim lessons and we played outside in the sun with a 103-109 heat index.
Tuesday we headed to the park before it got too hot then we had ECI and haircuts. John is doing much better with talking but we are going to be taking him to a private speech therapy to be evaluated to see if we can progress a little faster. I think it will help having the sessions out of the home.
The boys are growing up so fast, they are climbing up some crazy structures all on their own!

LOVE LOVE SLIDES

As you can tell they were HOT... it was only 9:30am

Wednesday we played at home till swim lessons then had a low key day before we had my mom and dad watch the boys so we could go to dinner and celebrate Brian's new job.
Thursday we headed to Galveston, Brian and I are not big fans of the beach, love the pool and lake but sand is just too messy. Of course since Brian and I are not fans the boys were. They loved it, who would of thought!! They loved digging in the sand, watching the waves, jumping in the waves and playing with mommy and daddy.

Then we headed to Moody Gardens to look at all the marine life. Brandon loved all the fish and his favorite were the sting rays while john was really in a good mood and ran around for the entire time we were there. It was so cute but exhausting running after him!

Thursday night we went to dinner with Brian's parents, Uncle Linc and our nieces. Brandon burnt his fingers on a lamp on the way into dinner, needless to say it was not the best of dinners but later that night we put his hand in some aloe and he wanted to wear mittens to keep his fingers safe, you like the outfit? He slept ALL night with those mittens..... too small and only one had had gotten hurt!
Friday we headed to the Blue Bell Factory with my mom. It was pretty cool and the boys loved the ice cream at the end.

The hats were a big hit... for all of 5 minutes!

Family photo op.

Then we headed to lunch at this really cute diner next to the airport, we were lucky enough to see two small airplanes take off. It was hot and we were tired though so we ate FAST!
That night Brian and I got our second date night of the week. Brian's parents were so kind to watch the kiddos over night. I will say we were up by 7:30 the next morning.... so much for sleeping in.

Saturday was low key and we went swimming and them dinner with my parents and Sunday was church and more swimming! Brian starts his new job tomorrow and our routines gets back to normal! Oh did I mention my intention for this week was to potty train? That did not really work out. Will try again in a month or so.

3rd Annual San Antonio Trip

2010-07-28T21:25:00.009-05:00

This past weekend was spent in San Antonio with Brian's parents. This is our third year to drive up to the Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch and spend a weekend in the sun with the boys. This trip was by far the best, granted the boys are a year older which helps but we also did much more than just swim in a pool all day.
The drive up was all right. The boys only look about a hour nap but the dvd player saved us. You can't watch enough of Mickey Mouse! Thursday night we just spent hanging out and letting the boys run off some energy!
Here they are learning to play bean bag games
Thursday night Brandon fell out of bed and a couple o hours later he started to get sick. We thought he had a mild concussion but was able to talk, smile and even laugh a little with us so we just let him sleep with us the rest of the night. Needless to say we woke him up every hour and I got NO sleep!
We woke up Friday morning to cloudy skies BUT decided to got to Sea World anyways. It rained on they way but the moment we got out of the car it cleared up. John loved all the puddles and ran every where, he has so much energy... I think he is going to be a track star!
He is looking at the roller coaster
The Family, Brandon is in the stroller, he was a little tired from the night before but in good spirits!
3 generations of Synnott Men, they are watching the penguins
Took a break between shows so the boys could run around

The boys loved the boat show, they thought daddy was on one of those for awhile before he showed up (he was riding the roller coaster).
This was by far Brandon's favorite part of the day, he still is talking about wamoo, as he calls it.

After a good nap we spent the afternoon in the pool. It was a great pool for the boys, it had a very AWESOME beach entry and the boys loved running, jumping and scaring me to death.

Saturday we headed to the River Walk. We took a boat ride, had mexican food and shopped at the Disney Store.

Back at the pool Saturday afternoon

The boys had their first smores. They ate them deconstructed.... marshmallow, cracker and then chocolate. I just scarfed two down in no time!
yes, long sleeves in July... don't ask me what I was thinking

Sunday we woke up and headed to New Braunfels to take a train ride and eat at the Gristmill

We fed ducks, some mean ducks too! They were so crazy and way too close

shooing away a crazy duck!!
MY BOYS!

What fun!

2010-07-15T21:28:00.004-05:00

These past couple of weeks have been jammed packed. we have had a lot of play dates and started swim lessons!
Last week we went to a friends house and met up with a few of our old Little Gym friends. It was super fun and the boys had a blast!
All grown up. It is so neat to see these boys sitting at a table eating lunch because when they all met they could not even walk!
SWIM LESSONS! This week has been crazy. Tomorrow is the boys 5th swim lesson and they are doing AWESOME! The first day they cried for 20 minutes out of the 30 minute class. I think what happened was that they cried because I was not with them and everything was overwhelming but then could not calm down after the initial shock.
John watching the other classes
Brandon showing mommy his colored chip for his class.
Tuesday was great, they cried going in but then had a great time. they played with toys, floated on their back and went under water. No crying.
Wednesday Brandon cried when he knew it was his turn to go under water but John had a blast and did great.
Thursday both boys did awesome, no crying!!! They floated on their backs (assisted) for about 45 seconds and went under water, grabbed rings from under the water and learned how to use the side of the pool to find a step. They seem to love it. John more so that Brandon but both have exceeded my expectations. So proud of my little men.

Hanging out at Uncle B and Aunt Nini's house.... going to go blind
Brandon is doing really well with learning to ride a bike, he is finally tall enough to rotate the the pedals.

First time they fell asleep in the same BIG BOY bed! Too cute!

Play date

2010-07-08T21:40:00.005-05:00

We tried out a new play center on Tuesday and it was so great. Instead of just a jump, run and play area.... it was more a pretend place with a few slides and some COOL sand pit. We spent two hours there and by the time we left we were all a little tired.

John trying out the sand, I want some!
Brandon
My little boys....
are growing up so fast!

Calling Nana
Lets have a party!
bye bye
hi momma
Party Time
It has been raining cats and dogs here in Houston and we have all had cabin fever so since it was not thundering or lightening I let the boys play in the rain for the first time. THEY LOVED IT!!
The boys have really started playing with one another! They play chase A LOT and also have started wrestling as long as we referee when things get out of hand. They are really doing well together!
AWE

Roll Monster

2010-07-08T08:23:00.002-05:00

Brian's dad has played this game called roll monster with him since he was little. grandpa played it with out nieces and now with the boys. Basically he gets on the bed and rolls from sided to side and the kids jump over him be fore he rolls over them. It is super fun and really cute. Here is Brandon trying reenacting it.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What a weekend! (picture overload)

2010-07-06T13:40:00.011-05:00

4th of July weekend was crazy! The boys and I drove through a huge rain storm to get to the lake Friday night, Brian met us there and we hung out with family for the entire weekend. My Great Aunt and Uncle came down for the holiday so it was so fun to have them there to see the boys. Uncle B and Aunt Nini came as well and we all were so tired by the time we got home Monday.
The pictures are a little out of order but you get the picture... a lot of time outside!!!! FIREWORKS.... boys still are not a huge fan.

The Grown-ups doing grown-up stuff.... FIRE!
Sparkles... as Brandon calls them. John calls them boom boom because big fireworks go boom, he says NO boom boom.

Rope swing. I have yet to do this

Happy 4th of July!
What a sunset
My boys

Uncle B went down the slide!
Needing to get out on the water
The boys LOVE to watch daddy on the yellow "boat"John always tells daddy which way to go

love it.

These next two pictures tells you John is my son.... we have the same smelly nose face.

The boys with their Great Aunt Sandra and Great Uncle Richard
Brandon taking pictures.... sorry for the next few

What a great weekend we had. Looking forward to next year when the boys will hopefully love fireworks and be able to swim in the lake!

What a month

2010-06-30T14:22:00.007-05:00

June has gone by so fast I can not believe that I have written only a few posts this month. I have not been very motivated, just been in kind of my own world this month. Maybe it is because I don't get that 5 hour, two days a week break. Anyways, we have had some good times this month none the less and have some good pictures (I need a new camera) to show you of the boys who are 2 1/2 now! TIME FLIES.
We have been painting A LOT lately, well they are starting to want to finger/hand paint now so it gets a little messy.

I also got the boys these cute kids shaving kits, Brandon loves watching daddy shave and really is good at doing it himself. John just likes to put shaving cream in his hand and wash it off in the tub, he did try and eat some of it though...

We even tried out painting with our feet.
They had fun trying it out!

What can I say?

News: Brandon and John are almost ready for potty training, at least in my mind they are. Brandon will tell me when he needs to pee pee or he will just run to the potty but it only happens when he is wearing undies... the past two days he has spend out a hour to two hours in undies (just for fun). John is starting to get interested in it now and is trying to pee pee on command and asks to go in the potty too. So I am getting more and more willing to try it out.

Random

2010-06-22T21:40:00.003-05:00

Sorry we have not been around. June has been a crazy month and am so glad that it is almost over and July is on the way here!!! We have so much exciting things happening in July... Fourth of July at the lake, swim lessons, and a trip to San Antonio and then potty training! I can not keep Brandon from peeing everywhere, mostly outside but it is becoming a bad habit and John is quickly trying to follow Brandon. The only things that scares me is bladder control. I feel like we will be prisoners in our own house for awhile because Brandon can "go" every 10 minutes! Other than just hanging out we have not been doing much, it is hot and the boys just want to be in the water.

Brandon and cousin Rachel!

Cousin Julia, Cousin Ellie and John
Of course!
Poor baby, 4 band aids!

SUMMER!!!

2010-06-14T13:52:00.007-05:00

IT IS HOT!!!!
Since the boys have been out of MDO for the summer we really have not had a schedule (which drives me nuts) so we have been spending alot of time outside, at the mall, keeping cool inside, and at the lake! I will just say I can not wait for MDO to start back up!!
We do have ECI still coming and John is doing great! He is talking more and more and we are so proud of him! We are going to MOM's (mother of multiples) play groups and an art play group. We are trying to stay busy!! The boys also have swim lessons next month, that should be very interesting.
The boys playing with water balloons for the first time!

I am such a sucker! My mom bought these for the boys. Brian thinks these are ridiculous!
Tent time, it is a lousy tent but all I could figure out and the boys have fun watching tv under it.

We went to the lake this past weekend and had such fun! We had a new toy to play with!!!

finger in the nose and closed eyes!
WATER GUNS!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T13:11:00.007-05:00

Random pictures!!

We had such a great weekend! We headed up to the lake and the boys are doing better and better each time. John didn't want to play in the boats but he wanted everyone to play in them and he said he would watch. John did go for one ride though!! Brandon could not get enough of the boats or the water!!

We had great food, good company and fun times!

We even tried out big boy beds for the first time and they did AWESOME. Did not freak out or even try to get out of bed. They were and still are such champs!

Mom and dad even got out on the water
New toy!!
Last night when we got home from the lake we tackled the boys room!

Its not decorated the way I want, I have to make some changes since the beds are not in the same places as the cribs were so its a work in progress right now!

fast update

2010-05-26T21:02:00.004-05:00

John can count to TEN!!! the number seven is a little hard but he can do it!! We are also really working on saying two words together. He is doing really well in speech therapy.

Brandon is rambling in sentences and sometimes he make total sense and I can not believe that, its so AWESOME!

Last day of MDO

2010-05-24T21:18:00.006-05:00

Well the boys have their last day of mother day out tomorrow. It is a weird feeling for me to know that my boys have been in "school" for a school year! They are growing up soooo fast. I decided to make their classmates a gift to thank them for being a part of the boys lives.
I made each kiddo a crayon!

I don't know what I am going to do with the boys everyday for three months but hopefully we will all survive. I am looking forward to next September!