Dental Downer

We had a pretty eventful day today, James had his 15 month well check AND his first-ever dentist appointment....

I did not do this on purpose and would  have in fact changed things around, but both events were months in the making and so we decided to just get things over with in one day. Poor guy. He was a serious trooper enduring shots, performing under pressure and teeth cleaning. 

I didn't think he would mind the dentist office as much as he did because he LOVES having his teeth brushed and is constantly carrying around a toothbrush just for fun. Turns out I was dead wrong, poor James was SCREAMING, and I'm fairly certain scared every other kid in that office. 

I even had Jackson go first so that James wouldn't mind as much, but it didn't help. Jackson was so sweet though (as usual) and picked a dinosaur for himself and told James to hold a teddy to 'make him feel good'. 

 Unfortunately that teddy didn't help much either though...

 Once the cleaning was done however, James was back to his old self and the dental assistant ran out and got both boys a balloon and goody bag each for their troubles. He was clearly a happy camper...

Out in the lobby, Jackson and James decided to practice their good hygiene on themselves...

 and each other...geez....

 And I'm very proud to say that both boys have excellent teeth and NO cavities! We're pretty adamant about showers and teeth brushing around here so I'm happy it's all paying off. Great job today Jamesie, despite the tears we couldn't be more proud of you and your brother :).

Dramatic Defiance

If you've hung out with Jackson for more than 5 minutes you know and understand that he is one epic child. EVERYTHING is a big deal and if in fact acting happens to be his calling in life, he'll definitely be one of the elite 'EGOT' (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winners. I have no doubt...Well maybe not Tony, he can't really hold a pitch to save his life but I digress.

As of late, our sweet cub has been wanting to drop his nap more and more every day. This is a common occurrence in kids his age and the only problem is that every single time he fights me, he ends up falling asleep minutes later anyways. Sometimes for 20 minutes, sometimes for 2 hours. Here is the latest (of many) winning roles:



We're thankful James is still ALL about nap times and isn't defying us quite yet. While not as dramatic as his older brother, James will have something up his sleeve. He always does.....ugh.....

Back to School!!!

Now that it's officially September and Summer is officially over, the boys started back up at school. That's right I said boyS! James started his very first year at Tarrytown Methodist this year and we were all (him included) VERY excited.

Our decision to put James in 'school' two days a week was a VERY difficult one because I still feel like he needs his momma all day/every day and I quite frankly wasn't ready to let him go. The director at Tarrytown assured me everything would be just wonderful and if I wasn't feeling it, I could always pull him out. This made me feel a whole lot better and so we are trying James out on a temporary basis.

I thought he would do just wonderfully because James is a real go-with-the-flow type of guy and we've left him in the toddler class before during mass time, always happy. Turns out I was a tad bit wrong though. Apparently James is really good for periods of time but then he gets sad and cries out for momma and dada. His teachers told me this and it broke my heart :(. When I picked him up he was being carried and was saying, 'mama, mama, mama'.

It was the saddest thing I've ever seen because James really isn't sentimental and is quite independent. Once in my arms, James was his usual happy self and really only wanted his momma. Poor sweet babe.  Jackson was especially sweet to his brother today and said (in Spanish), "James, what's wrong? Don't be sad, your teachers are there to protect you and everything will be ok".

Which leads us to Jackson. Jackson has been ready and willing to get back into school the moment he got out. He thrives there and absolutely LOVES it. Thank GOD. He is so happy to get ready in the mornings and talks and talks about everything he did during the day when I pick him up.

We're hoping James' thoughts on school change and that he too can thrive there. It's such a great place and people love him and love the fact that he is Jackson Zinda's little brother. I mean, there's nowhere to go but up right? Come on Jamsie!

Lost Children!

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to spend time away at Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop, TX with our dearest friends and their kids. 

We've been wanting to do something like this for a long time and were especially thrilled that our friends, the Cumberworths were in town to join in on the fun. So the Stoners, the Cumberworths and the Zindas had one heck of a time enjoying sun, pools, and maybe one too many adult beverages under one roof...

Perhaps too much fun as the majority of the pictures involved the adults and NOT the kids...

But they were there too, and they REALLY enjoyed themselves as well. So much so that all of them were in bed pretty early and slept a little longer than usual.

 

I wish I would have gotten more pictures of all of the kids together but it was near impossible to get them (all of them) together at any one time. It was also near impossible to have the phones anywhere near the water because they were in constant danger of being thrown in. 

Jackson and James truly enjoyed hanging out with their amigos, Collier, Callan, Leighton and Corbin though. They also enjoyed the amenities the resort had to offer. They were obsessed with riding the bikes....

Watching and looking at the animals...

And eating all of the special treats. Which were conveniently offered everywhere. At ALL times. Too convenient if you ask me, but Jackson especially was in heaven...

Oh and did I mention they loved the bikes? We only did this activity a million times...

I am thrilled that the trip went to so smoothly and that everyone (especially the adults) thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We vowed to do this more often and all over so we are excited for the next big adventure :).

8 Years!!!

Yesterday Jack and I celebrated our EIGHT year anniversary! Where does the time go? The theme of this year's celebration has been 'Crazy 8'. It's been an incredibly crazy year with one more monkey added to the mix. Fun is ALWAYS had and life could not be any better. Thankful as always for our many blessings and we of course owe all our gratitude to God, for he is good. VERY good. Here's to 80 more anniversaries (well maybe not that many)...

Summer is ALMOST over...

I know, we've been bad about writing lately but this summer has been a whirlwind and we've enjoyed every last second. Life is starting to wind down and we are now getting ready for Fall, school (THANK GOD) and everything to just settle. For a minute anyways, we are forever on the go :).

Sand Babies

Apologies for the lack of posting. I've been in El Paso with the boys as of late and as always, we are enjoying our time here. 

Last week my mom had an errand to run in Ruidoso, NM so the boys and I decided to join her and take a detour in White Sands National Park. 

We were only going to take a bathroom break but a nice older couple asked us if we wanted their sleds because they didn't want to carry them in their car so we gladly said, "yes!" and decided to stay a little longer than intended. 

 I'm really glad we decided to stop because the boys, (and my mom and I of course) had soooo much fun. We didn't know if they'd love it or hate it, but Jackson and James enjoyed every second...

We'll most definitely be going back. These boys were COVERED in sand but they enjoyed every single minute!