MOMMA SHOES

Following in his daddy's footsteps (yes, you read it correctly), Cal has a bit of a shoe fetish. He is somewhat obsessed with all the shoes in the house. "Momma shoes" and "Daddy shoes" are frequent topics of conversation. In what we hope is not a long-term habit, Cal tries on some "momma shoes" in these photos. A little big but they'll work!

Cal Does the Hustle
Or something. We're not really sure how to explain this bizarre dance but it will probably bring a smile to your face to watch the video.

This second video is of Cal showing his brother how to roll over - a milestone Griffin is very close to reaching. Maybe this lesson will do the trick. But I doubt it.

MORE FUN, MORE SUN

Griffin had his first swimming experience this weekend and took to it right away. Cal's lessons from last summer didn't exactly come flooding back to him but he was too busy launching himself off the side of the pool to notice. Great combination - can't swim but fearlessly launching himself into the pool. More swimming lessons - here we come!

FUN IN THE SUN

We had a great Memorial Day weekend, complete with a visit from Nana and Big Daddy and a visit to the Oates water park for Eli's 3rd birthday. Eli's parents rented a huge inflatable water slide for the occassion which Cal was immediately drawn to. We started out with mom holding Cal near the bottom of the slide and pushing him down the last few feet in between the big kids coming down from the top. He finally suckered dad into taking him all the way down the slide even though all the other kids using it were about 10 years older than Cal. If you're a regular reader of the blog, you will not be surprised to learn that he instantly LOVED it and demanded to go down over and over. This happened until dad slipped backward down the stairs and took out about 3 kids in the process. We're the first family in history to be thrown out of an Oates family gathering for being too wild. God willing, we won't be the last.

NEW NANNY!

We are THRILLED to have a new addition to our family - Shauna Fitzsimmons started as our nanny this week. Shauna recently graduated from UT and will start law school in the fall. We figure if she is up for the LSAT, she is probably up for the Meroney boys, too. She is doing great and both boys took an immediate liking to her. Griff is especially fond of conning her into holding him while he naps. She will be with us all summer and Cal will be transitioning to a part time program next week to spend more time at home...stay tuned to see how long Shauna survives with Cal at home!

AT WORK AND PLAY

Some random shots of the boys at work and play. Griff is already pretty interested in the TV and computer. NOT a good sign.

AL-MOST! In his never-ending efforts to perfect his skills at basktball, Cal misses a shot from time to time - shocking, I know. He recently caught on to the fact that whenever he misses, mom and dad say "Almost!" So he started repeating it himself - with GUSTO! See for yourself. Beware, we rate this as a 9 on the cuteness scale.

COWBOY CAL

Doesn't everyone play the piano in a cowboy hat? We thought so.

THE MANY FACES OF GRIFFIN

At 4 months, Griffin is still his same sweet self. He loves to be held (read: doesn't sleep unless someone holds him) and smiles a lot. And did we mention how much he loves his tongue? We think he is part reptile. His hair is not looking too good. He still has quite a bit of cradle cap which we slather with Cortizone. Makes for a greasy headed baby. He has also lost most of his baby hair so he is looking pretty bald. Still waiting on the peach fuzz underneath to thicken up. He is not much of a napper but we are working on that. Can you say "cry it out?" I knew you could!!

M is for MOTHER'S DAY

Mother's Day is for mom...which is why this exhausted mom of 4 month and 22 month old boys hit the road for the weekend. It was a group effort - Gramma and Bippy, as he is now called, came in to help Mike with the kiddos. They took Cal for 2 nights and both kids for one so even dad got a break for Mother's Day. He forgot how good beer tasted! All this was to facilitate Mom's getaway to the Phoenician with 3 other momma girlfriends for the weekend. Which explains why mom is the only person who looks rested in these photos from our lunch at Z Tejas upon her return on Sunday. Thanks, Gramma & Bippy. We owe you!!

FUN WITH GRAMMA + BIPPY

Griffin's school had their end of the year fundraiser which we all got to attend. Cal will be going there in June so it was a good opportunity for him to get comfortable with the new digs. Gramma & Bippy helped wrangle kiddos which was tough to do. Cal liked watching the skits with Gramma but otherwise was his usual busy self.

THE PAINT INCIDENT

It all started innocently enough...mom and dad needed to get a bigger view of some paint samples before putting them on the wall. So we bought some posterboard to use as swatches and that's when the fun began. Cal's teacher tells us he really enjoys art and painting - we had no idea she meant he enjoys painting HIMSELF. Mom turned her back for 10 seconds to pick up the crying baby. That's when Cal made his move - his technique was flawless as he proceeded to paint one entire side of his face and head (including hair) right down the middle. Michaelangelo, he is not. But he might give Picasso a run for his money. It took 3 hair washings to get it all out. We think he was "brushing" his hair with the paint brush. Not pretty. He did enjoy wearing daddy's t-shirt for a smock. I think we'll leave art to the teachers for a while.

READING TO THE BABY

We figure Cal is old enough now to take over some chores so we are letting him read to Griff from now on. He loves hanging with his baby and showing him the ropes.

GETTIN' BIG

Well, some of us are getting big...and some of us are staying downright scrawny. I never would have thought Cal could still fit in the Bumbo chair until I saw it with my own eyes. WOW. Is that kid skinny or what? Not sure where he got that butt but it sure wasn't from his momma....Griffin, on the other hand, prefers the oversized chair to his momma's lap these days. What a big man - 13 lb 12 oz at last weigh in which is bigger than Cal was at 4 months. Keep on truckin', Griff!