First, (Of many...) Camping trips with the two kiddies....and the help of amazing grandparents!

Dad with his two lake boys!

Forrest, Dad, and Grandpa on an early morning fishing trip

I *think* he's having fun!!!

A beautiful baby Talin, the best camping baby around!

MMMMMM, BBQ salmon!

The wonderful ocean going/river boat turned lake/water ski boat for a day!

sunset cruise with the hubby!!!

Water fights with Granny are the best!

 

 

Perfectly happy beach baby enjoying the scenery....

 

 

 

 

 

And, the take home message....it was VERY nice having my parents to camp with on our inagural outing with two kids....and when you get down to it the ONE two year old was enough work for everyone to handle! And, we learned baby Talin continues to just be the happy smiley baby of the family. We had a great time at Trinity Lake, which included my first water ski ride in over two years behind the great jetboat! Muscles I had forgot had existed hurt, but it is an acheivement to say that both my dad and I suceeded in the waterski adventure....
Here's to more adventures camping with our newly expanded family!

3 Months Old!!!

Already, our little Talin is 3 months old. Out of his "4th trimester" as some say, though with this cute, lovable, cuddly, and YES still unbelievably mellow baby it has been nothing but fun!
He is really turning into the smiley baby, and loves to look at faces, coo, and even giggle and laugh. He likes his swing well enough, but also likes his baby chair, his baby ergo, baby bjorn, and the sling. He loves his baths which is the secret weapon so to speak when the evening fussies hit.  Overall there are few places Talin is NOT happy.
He does very much dislike his older brother's screeches and loud antics and lets us all know right away with a good cry which just adds to the commotion Forrest is creating. He is still a champion breastfeeder, but handles bottles well enough despite being a bit slow and getting them down. He is still waking up during the night to eat every 4-5 hours, but has taken a 6 hour stretch without milk recently, (now we just need to get that during the evening hours and I'll be a real happy mama!)
He had his first ride in our BOB stroller earlier this week and seemed to enjoy the bumps and scenery. However, Forrest was quick to let us know he wanted his baby brother out of HIS stroller...;-) So the sharing begins!!!
We are so in love and happy with our little boy Talin. He handles our busy life like the little champ he is and I tell you there is absolutely nothing better than coming home from a day at work to the cooing, smiling, and cute baby blue eyes that he can give....

The Paradise Beach...

All year long we look forward to our beach days. We have an amazing beach along the Trinity River that we can call our own, and we spend as much time as possible enjoying it during the months of July and August.
This year however, due to the late rains, our beach was under water until mid-late July. So we are now SO thankful to be enjoying the lovely stretch of sand in the August heat.
The afternoons we enjoy down there are priceless. They are not exactly peaceful with a 2 year old and infant, but full of fun. It is also exciting to think of how we can continue to enjoy the river fun in the future when our kiddos get older and more able to swim, recreate, and play without constant parental involvement and supervision that is necessary at this time. I'm sure there will be a day in perhaps even the near future that they OWN that beach. That they will want to spend every waking hour creating forts, building tree swings, and finding the perfect crawdads and jumping rocks. That is very exciting to me as it is my picture of an ideal childhood. I'm also excited to see them enjoy what we enjoy so much.
For now though, it is still fun. We are beginning to conquer the life jacket saga, (Forrest was not a fan at first but now knows it is a MUST,) and Forrest is quite the amazing hiker down to our beach which has a rather rough river trail. He won't let anyone help him now, up or down. It is so fun to watch him try to conquer these little feats, to put his mind to it and actually succeed and be proud of himself! Alex and I joked that this would probably be the slowest he takes that river trail EVER, and soon he will be running down it full speed, (makes me a bit nervous to think about it....though a lot of this kiddie adventure stuff does, just can't think of the "what-ifs...")
Here are some recent pictures from our oasis. I feel so blessed to have this beach be a part of our lives for 2-3 months of the year. As floaters, kayakers, and boaters float by all of them comment on the beauty of the beach and surrounding area. We do our best to take care of it and treasure it as much as we can....

Alex enjoying a zen moment...

Forrest hiking down the VERY steep river trail, (and these stairs are the easy part!!!)

Enjoying some Talin time!

A VERY happy river baby, he loves it down there!!!

A good old fashion water fight, just don't drop the beer Dad!!!

Nature boy...

Nature boy, toddler-melt-down style.

Dad and his little watermelon head

Out for an adventure!

Our neighbors, stopping by for a visit... :-) Love it!!!

Kayaking fun with Dad...

My dear ol' Dad came to visit last week, partially to come and rescue my mom from the throngs of our crazy household, (partially a joke, and partially a bit true I bet right Mom??!!) and we took the opportunity to kayak a nice section of river. It was a GREAT day, one that started with me swimming the first rapid just to make it a bit exciting. This trip was sans kids and we lived it up with some good beer....

...some great swings and dives off a rope swing along the way...

look hard and you'll see some feet danging from the tree....Tarzan Dad...ahhiieeeeeeeoooo!!!

 And some great relaxing, swimming, just plain enjoying the beautiful river scenery....

My parents are now back home, and I can't tell you how much we are going to miss them!!! My mom's visit and help was amazing and it has been so nice to have all my family up here this summer in our little neck of the woods....
Before they left for home we all went camping on Trinity Lake...yep, 1st camping trip with two kids...stay tuned for the crazy stories :-) hehe!!! (Hint hint dear ol' Dad, email me some pics if you get a chance!!! :-)