The Russells (and then there were four): July 2011

New cup

banana on her face

close up

We love our new cups!

Last week was very uneventful. We recovered from our vacation. I know that sounds crazy, but in Galveston we were on the go a lot more than we are used to, so it took us a week to recoup. The twins have both had stuffy/runny noses since we got home - yucky. We did a lot of unpacking and napping.

Tayden's occupational therapist came and his session went really well. She brought a musical piggy bank and he loved putting the coins in and then opening the belly to take them all out. We told her that he is still having trouble with sippy cups. No matter which kind we give him, he doesn't swallow all of the liquid in each sip, so some comes squirting out. She suggested the throw away cups with the straws. I have been trying these at meal time and they seem to be working great! He dribbles every now and then, but not nearly as bad as with sippies. We still haven't found a sippy cup that either of them love more than their bottles, which we only give them in the morning and at bedtime. We are working on breaking this habit!

On Friday, Tim and I attended the wedding reception of two of my co-workers and then had date night thanks to SueSue. We went to Uncle Julio's - YUMMY!!! My friend is the manager there and I asked for her when we arrived. She was off that day - moving into a new apartment. I texted her to let her know we were at her spot and were sorry we missed her. Before long, a man arrived at our table with numerous gift cards!!!!!!!! What an awesome blessing - we were happily surprised! She definitely made our whole week! It was nice to enjoy a meal with Tim.

Brooklyn continues to climb on everything!!! She has frog toes and no fear! She loves to sing, chase Sambo, and put things in containers. Tayden has learned (from his father) how to look in the mirror and point at himself while clicking his mouth. Tim has done this for years and now he has passed this tradition on to his son. LOVELY!!! He loves to pet Titan, play with puzzles, and put the shapes in the shape sorter.

As I was typing, Brooklyn started crying. At that point we had put them down almost an hour prior. She had thrown up all over herself and her bed. I gave her a bath while Tim cleaned up the mess. I got her back to sleep and made her a pallet on the floor. She got up again and was sick again - not very much this time. I am thinking we might be in for a long night. Please keep her in your prayers. Hope this is not a bug.

We spent last week in Galveston for our summer vacation! We returned to the beach house of my dear friend Jennifer and her family - what a blessing!!!  THANK YOU JENNIFER!!!!! We were right on a private beach with amazing views and the house was gorgeous. SueSue went with us again this year and was super helpful as always. She was constantly changing diapers, clothes, and helping feed the twins (she was even vomitted on this trip). Thank you mom for all that you do for our family! My Aunt Sara joined us for a night (wish she could've stayed longer) and then my sister Jamie, her husband Joey, their son Payton, and my niece Mallory joined us for three nights.

We took turns cooking which was really fun. We would usually eat breakfast at the house, go into Galveston during the day for lunch, and then hang out on the beach and eat dinner at the house in the evenings. The twins loved playing with Cousin Payton. Brooklyn constantly tried to escape from the barriers we created and he would always say, "No Maam!" Last year when we went, the twins weren't even sitting up yet, so it was quite different this year. They walked up and down the beach and we had to watch them very closely. Tayden loved the water and would cry when it was time to come inside. He ate sand on more than one occasion. Brooklyn was a little unsure of things the first few days, but by the end of the week she was really enjoying it as well. Jamie and I spent a few hours in the ocean on Saturday pretending we knew how to boogie board. We had a blast and I got a nice sunburn.On our last night there we made sand castles and the twins had a blast knocking them down.

On Friday it rained off and on, so we went to the aquarium at Moody Gardens. We saw fish, sharks, sea lions, eels, penguins, and many more interesting creatures. I made the mistake of pushing the stroller right up to the glass at the sea lion exhibit, and when the largest one came up to the glass, it terrified Brooklyn. For the rest of the time, she wanted to be held and kept her distance from the glass. Tayden was a trooper and stayed in the stroller the entire time checking everything out.

Now for the most important part of the trip - the food. We had good meals at Shrimp and Stuff, The Original, and Fisherman's Wharf (Tim and my mom would count this as one of the greats, but I am not a seafood fan, so it was just okay for me). One thing I love about vacation is trying new restaurants and finding that one meal that is SPECTACULAR, the meal that puts all others to shame. Earlier in the week I was starting to think that we would not encounter such a meal, but I was mistaken. We ate at two really great restaurants. We had wonderful Mexican food at Salsa's on the Seawall. They had great dips and the twins ate queso for the first time and loved it! Now for the winning meal, drum roll please........ Shiner battered Chicken Strips at Gaido's Casual Seafood.  We ate at the fancier Gaido's last summer and I was not a fan, so I was hesitant to try the casual side, but I am so glad that we did. My meal started with a wonderful salad with perfectly seasoned croutons and homemade ranch. The chicken strips were served on a bed of thinly sliced potato crisps and had the same ranch dressing for dipping. MAGNIFICENT!!!

We had a wonderful week and were so sad to leave. On our way home we stopped in Houston to visit my aunt and uncle. They treated us to a wonderful lunch and yummy desserts and we got to visit with both of my cousins and their spouses, which was very nice. We got back on the road, and before long disaster struck. Tim was driving my car and the gas light came on. Most of you are probably remembered that I have run out of gas twice in the last year, but I was not driving this time!!!! Before we could even think about stopping he said, "I think the car just ran out of gas," as he pulled onto the shoulder of the highway. We coasted for about a mile before coming to a stop on Hwy. 45. It was around 7, so it wasn't 100 degrees, but it was very close. We rolled the windows down, but there was very little breeze. The babies were crying, wanting to get out of their carseats, so we came up with a plan. I called my sister who was already on Hwy. 287 and explained our situation. They were about to stop for gas so my mom bought a gas can, filled it up, and they headed back to save us. I realized quickly that we needed to get out of the car and away from the highway to calm the babies down. Tim got the stroller out, we loaded up the twins, and Mallory and I went down a small hill to the service road. We decided to walk to the nearest gas station (over a mile away), where Tim would be coming to fill up, so that we could get the twins some cold water and keep them entertained. Mallory was a trooper and pushed the stroller while I held Brooklyn, who did not want to sit in the stroller. She clawed at my sunburned arms as we walked, both of us in flip flops. Mallory was sick with a sore throat, and this definitely did not make matters better. She could not believe that so many cars passed us and not one of them stopped to offer help. She vowed at that moment to never pass someone in need. Once we got to the gas station we got water and then both cars arrived. Everyone stretched their legs and loaded up for the final leg of the trip. I went to start the car and the battery was completely dead!!!!  Luckily, Joey had jumper cables and was able to get us going pretty quickly. Had we not been traveling with family, I am not quite sure what we would've done. This definitely was a crazy way to welcome us back to reality. We had a GREAT time and made many wonderful memories!!!

As of yesterday the twins are 17 months old!!!!