There's an App for That??!

"if you don't have an iPhone...well.....you don't have an iPhone..."


On June 15th I got my iPhone. It was a highly anticipated day.  I would've had it about 3 weeks prior, but my dear husband "accidentally" damaged his in a pool (there was a hole in the Ziploc bag that he had it in his pocket) on a business trip to Tucson, so he had to use my upgrade while away. I know that he was absolutely crushed to get his upgrade early! LOL

So anywho,  I had to wait to use his upgrade later. By this time, Paul already had a couple weeks under his belt to get used to the phone and already downloaded several apps for all types of things.  It is just insane what you can do on this device.  In fact, the best part is now that my Dad has an iPhone, we can Skype or do Facetime whenever we want. I can literally hold my Dad's face in the palm of hand.  We have also been able to ride in the car with my Dad on his way home from work using the Glympse App.  We send text messages of a hyperlink of our satellite location and in a matter of seconds I can pull up his exact location and watch him as he drives home.  Same for us! To make it even more awesome, we have a little device that holds the phone while we drive, so technically we can log on to Skype and I can literally watch him drive home!  It's crazy!  The other day when I went shopping and wanted to show my Mom what I got, I thought about taking a camera phone picture and sending it to her, when I realized, "Wait, I can just call them via Facetime and actually model the new clothes for her in real time!" So cool....

Paul has really made use of the Exercise Apps over the last month (Endomondo, and Nike). It's like having a personal trainer right in the palm of your hands! The Grocery IQ app has been super helpful for grocery shopping.  We can both add items to the list from our phones and it syncs and then you can also scan the barcode of the item and it automatically adds it in there.  We can also check the calorie content and nutrition value of the foods we have in our house with the Fooducate app!  Geez, I am just scratching the surface with all the stuff we have been using.

And then there's the games..... Words with Friends and Hanging with Friends. We are addicted. I am not the best player but Paul is unbelievable at these games.  But the fun part about the games is that you feel like you are playing a game in your house with your closest family and friends but be halfway across the country!

Truly the best benefit of the iPhone is feeling so connected with the family and friends who live back east. It has made all of us feel so much closer! It has been great! Thanks Apple! (I really think I should get some royalties from this post, don't ya think?)

I found this comic in the paper a couple of weeks ago and thought it was hilarious.

First Sentence

Corey said he first sentence on Saturday and we are not surprised one bit by what was said. You see, our house is absolute chaos about 80 to 90 percent of the time. Not just because of having two young children, but because we have crazy dogs! We love our dogs like they were our children, but they sure can reek havoc on our household. We are always yelling at them to stop eating off the table, or to quit chewing the kids toys, or to not jump over the fence (Tater), or stop digging that hole.... you get the picture, right?

Tater is the "problem child" and the majority of the time we are telling her "No!" so it was perfect when Corey's first sentence happened to be "no Tater!" He was walking around the house pointing his tiny little finger and saying "No Tater!" over and over again.... Paul asked him to say it again after his bath that night while playing in his room. And this is what he caught on video. We couldn't stop laughing about it that night.

Summer Fun

We've had some fun in the sun already this summer and it's only July!  Actually, our summer started fairly early considering it got VERY HOT during the spring months.  So it already feels like we've had about 4 months of summer!

Anywho, we've had some fun afternoons and weekends in the backyard playing with the kids and busting out the kiddie pool, along with some trips to Sea World, and to the San Antonio Zoo. Here's a little photo journey of our summer so far...
...starting with Sea World....

Ashley at the Sea World entrance

Getting ready to watch the Sesame Street 3D movie

Sea World added a brand new Sesame Street section complete with a CAROUSEL!
Ash was thrilled! (and apparently so was Daddy in this photo!) haha

Corey and Cookie

 ....and then a visit to the zoo and a ride on the park train....It was Corey's first time and Paul got him a little monkey to commemorate the event.  We got a monkey because he's like Curious George the monkey. Our little "Curious Corey".

There was a monkey there that just had a baby.
If you look closely you can see it nursing off the mommy.

All dressed for the Zoo. Complete with Safari hat and shirt.

On the train...Choo Choo!

We got Ashley a new "pink" train whistle!

 ...followed by some backyard fun and a hot dog picnic! Corey and Ashley just LOVE this little pool. It's been great for them to cool off in considering the average 100 degree weather.

And then another Sea World trip on Father's Day weekend.....it was a hot day and VERY crowded. We didn't last long that day. The majority of our time was spent at the little Splash Park so Ashley could cool off. Phew! We topped off that afternoon with some "happy hour" ICEEs (only $1.98 for 3 large ICEEs) at the nearest convenience store. And man, have they been great! They have become our new summer staple!

Hope you all are having a fun summer too!!!

NKOTBSB

Yes, Paul and I went to the New Kids On the Block/Backstreet Boys show on June 28th and it was awesome. About 3 years ago I went to the New Kids show when they did a reunion tour for their new album and I just HAD to go again when they came to San Antonio. It was a fantastic fun-filled show and I went back to 1989 all over again. And those guys can still sing and dance like nobody's business.

At the show, you could totally ("like totally" - 80s throwback) see the division of generations. There were the 30somethings like myself who were all about the New Kids and the 20somethings who cheered more for the Backstreet Boys. The bands sang songs separately and together and everyone had a great time. You can make fun of me all you want, but I will forever be a New Kids fan.  I heart Jordan and Jonathan Knight 4eva!

Joey McIntyre was "like THAT close" :)

A Backstreet Boy - Brian Littrell was right near me

My boy - Jordan Knight

Paul GOT ME! I was having a ball...
(they did a mash-up of We will Rock You and Hangin' Tough")

Scenes from 4th of July 2011

Corey Update

His "cool dude" hair

 It’s been a bit since I have written a Corey update (about 3 months...eek!). I have done my best to jot down some notes here and there of what our little “Gee Gee” has been up to over the last few months! I started this blog entry when he was 14 months and now he is 15 months, but there are some things he was doing at that time that I don't want to forget.

Curious Corey

Our little man is really growing up. What a personality! Our little “Curious Corey” weighs around 21 pounds and getting taller and leaner every day. He crawls sooo fast and is into EVERYTHING. I swear we can put him down and then turn to do something for a second and he is halfway down the hallway or into something he shouldn’t be! One of his favorite things is to play with the remote control! Thankfully we have an older one that he can use that won’t actually control the TV, but he likes to think he’s doing it. He also gets very frustrated if the TV is paused too long or that a commercial changed. He starts making noises, says “uh oh”, or raises his head. He is a huge fan of anything with wheels that he can push along the floor and loves to play ball. He has loved playing ball since he was itty bitty, but you can really see his love of it as he is growing. He is always so curious to find out how things work.

Playing ball with his big sister!

We definitely have another little music fan in the house. He loves to play with the toy piano in his room (used to be Ashley’s) and jam out! He dances to the music by bending his knees and shaking his head. He has always loved jamming to the music we have playing in the house and it’s hilarious that when he hears a song end, he shouts “YAAAAY!” In fact, “yay!” is a sound you always hear coming from Corey. He always gets so excited over everything (even when he sees the caterpillar at the beginning of the Baby Einstein DVD). You can find him giggling just to giggle. He might just laugh because you’re laughing and he wants to join in. We also say “Corey, do Crazy Baby!” and he shakes his head really fast almost like Stevie Wonder but 5x faster. It is so funny. He is just a happy little guy!

“Curious Corey” is also a climber. While I was away recently in NJ, Paul put Corey in his room for a minute while he helped Ashley get out of the bath. We have a gate in the doorway to Corey’s room to keep him contained and the dogs out, so this usually is a very safe place. Well, the second Paul came back, Corey was balancing himself on the arm of the rocking chair, creating a bridge between the chair and the end table trying to get inside the end table drawer! Paul said he nearly had a heart attack! I have witnessed a similar situation where he climbed on top of another toy to get to the end table. We NEVER had to worry that Ashley would do this type of stuff. Just goes to show how each kid is so different!

Let me out of here!

Figuring things out.

Corey is a great eater. He has some picky moments, but is eating whatever we eat for meals. Some of his favorites are yogurt, applesauce, mashed potatoes, mandarin oranges, bananas, fish sticks and pizza. He is not a big fan of macaroni and cheese or pasta noodles believe it or not! Soooo unlike his Daddy or Big Sister! They are noodle freaks! He does very well with trying to feed himself with a spoon. It’s so cute to watch.

Loving Daddy

Corey is a little love. He likes to cock his head to the side and look at your face as if he’s trying to figure you out. He loves to snuggle into your arms and be close. He just loves the dogs and likes to pet them and in fact “talks” to them the most! He says their names “Tay-er (Tater)” “Kee-yee (Kitty)”. He says “Daddy”, “Mama” and “Doggie” and is starting to repeat more when you say things to him. He is also starting to get into books and likes to see Elmo in books. I like to read to him in the bath.

On June 2nd, Corey took his first steps! He took 5 steps in a row. So far that has been the most in a row, but he has continued to get stronger every day. He stands for longer periods of time without holding onto anything and still will take some steps, but is still a little nervous to go farther. Pretty soon though! Update: Corey is walking full force now!! He started walking more and more from about the week prior to Father's Day  (June 19).  He looks so cute toddling around. Paul says he walks like he had a little too much fun at Happy Hour! :) This new development has opened up a whole new world for our sweet boy.

More "Corey Tidbits" to come.....

How can you resist this face??!