E I E I O

This video didn't come out in the post, but it's a cutie. Bateman is saying all sorts of things now, but he gets really excited about E I E I O.

Hotel Living!

I had my doubts about hotel living for two weeks with a toddler. But with a little creativity, we had ourselves a ball! Bateman loved to say, "Hi" to everyone in the hotel so he quickly became the little mascot for all those weary business travelers. The breakfast server at the hotel called him her new boyfriend. It was great. We had our little elevator routine and Bateman knew where to look for the buttons and such, and he always attempted pull-ups on the handles inside the elevator. The housekeeper would usually come into the room during his nap, so she would open the door really slowly and move about really quietly. It was all actually quite nice to be honest. We had a little kitchenette so, longing for a meal one night, I attempted to cook. The drippings from the pan in the oven caused quite an amount of smoke and the smoke alarm went off. I was in a panic because I was afraid the whole place would have to evacuate. Luckily, I was able to open the windows and fan off the alarm so it stopped. No sprinklers went off. Phew! We decided just to do sandwiches or eat out for the remainder of the stay. Here are some pictures of Bateman staying busy. We found story times and parks and indoor play structures in malls I later found out were pretty dangerous. You live you learn.

Laundry baskets: Endless Possibilities

An empty water bottle and a daddy make for one fun evening!

Silly Boys!

This is Bateman's new playground in our neighborhood. It's just his size and he loves it.

Next up, our new house!

To Texas!

Here we are getting ready to fly out of Oakland, CA on May 23. We signed the papers for the house the next day...

Then we were on to San Anonio for a little play time with my mother and father in law, Grammie and Paw Paw Dick. We enjoyed San Antonio so much! Even when it was really hot, it was still cool on the River Walk. We got to explore so many things and learn about our new state's history. Richard Carey became quite the Alamo enthusiast. So much so I got him a "Remember the Alamo" t-shirt for fathers' day. He's a real Texan now!

Bateman had so much fun at the children's museum.

Then we went on a lovely boat cruise along the River Walk.

We also visited the zoo where Bateman came up close to all sorts of fun animals!

Then we got to ride the train that ran near the zoo. Choo Choo!

We arrived back in Houston at our temporary residence (the Marriott) for two weeks of fun. More of that to come...

Catching Up

I am so glad to be sitting down to do this! We have made our transition to Houston. We've been in our house for a month now, and we are really enjoying it. Before I give you a view into our lives since we've been in Texas, I still want to document our goodbyes of California. We dearly miss our friends, but we are grateful for all they've given us.

We had a sweet picnic playdate with moms and babies from our nursing support group and mothers' club. The babies that were once napping all day are now climbing all over playground equipment and eating fruits and sandwiches! Oh, what difference a year makes for a baby!

Our great friends, Mark and Kristin organized a going away party at the park near our house. Mark and Kristin are pictured below with Dinosaur Bate. The party was Blue and Yellow themed... it took me a few weeks to figure out why. It's because blue and yellow make... Green! :) Isn't that cute? Well it was a wonderful send-off, even though I couldn't get up the nerve to say anything for fear that I would cry for the rest of the party.

Of course, there was a Dora the Explorer piñata there! RC and Bateman are about to get a few whacks.

There was some sort of a hula hoop game going on here...

And here's Bateman on the last morning in our empty house. He was just cruising around... and needing extra hugs that day.

And that night... we had a gender revelation pizza party!

Here's the card with the gender written inside... and pictures of the new baby...

We're having a... Boy! Yay! I thought it was a girl the whole time, but once we opened the card, I felt like, "Well that makes sense! Our boys!" He's still growing strong and is set to arrive mid-late October. It's so exciting to talk about "the boys" and "the boys' room." I guess that's until they're rolling on the floor tussling and I'm unaware of what to do! :)

As for you Californians, it's not goodbye, just see y'all later! In our next post, look forward to our Texas size adventures!