Weekend at Callaway Gardens

So the Hossler and Timmis clans had a big weekend at Callaway. And by big I mean super packed with activities that both boys loved. A big thank you to Mamaw and Pawpaw for being such great troopers for the weekend and being so patient and loving with the boys. The first night we went to the hot air balloon festival and saw the balloon glow, which meant all of them lit up at the same time. We also took advantage of the free BBQ and Jacob enjoyed his first ice cream of the weekend with sprinkles, which he now feels is mandatory for all ice cream here on out. We started the weekend a little rocky after the first night, with Jacob having a meltdown after meltdown before we could even get to breakfast. Then, we preceded to go to breakfast and discover we were the there with our closest 100 other friends in the line for the not so good buffet (think sweaty eggs). But... after that things got much better (thank goodness). The next day we checked out Robin Lake and the boys did some golfing while Mamaw and I and the boys watched some US Open Action and then went to Robin lake for some bouncy thing action. Jacob had a ball and did all of the slides and inflatibles until his heart was content. Mommy felt a bit left out at first when he went right in without a look back, but he later invited mommy along too. Mommy also got to prove that she is not too old for back flips and did the bungy bounce which was a lot of fun. I felt like I was an an adult sized bouncer and I can see why Noah is a big fan. The next day Mark and I did the Callaway Triathlon. Mark had a rough go of it and could not finish due to big bike difficulties on the 2nd loop but we had fun doing it anyway. Afterwards, we did tie dye t shirts and finished out the evening with a nice meal, where Jacob had yet another helping of ice cream- chocolate this time (sorry daddy- no tastes this time). The last day we packed in the last bit of action and went to the beach and did paddle boats and the train for the last time. Whewww..... what a weekend. Home is going to seem so boring. We are so blessed to enjoy these times with the boys and everyone- they are so much fun and are so fascinated with all these new activities. Noah was so fun on the beach- he crawled right for the water and I think he would have just kept on going if we had let him. He has no fear :) So neat to see the world through a child's eyes again.

Fun at the Lake!

This past weekend we took a very relaxing trip to the lake. We found our own private island on Lake Wedowee and let the dogs run and it was great. Jacob had a ball chasing the doggies and wading into the water. He got more and more daring as time went on and even got up to his waist in the water with Pawpaw's help (Pawpaw has great influence over Jacob:) if Pawpaw does it- it must be ok). We also fixed up a big play pen on the porch of the lake and the boys played in it really well. Jacob loved having control over the gate and being able to come in and out, but keep Noah in. It was just a really nice weekend- more relaxing than most. We tried our luck at fishing but didn't have any luck, which upset Miss Emma, our fishing queen. In other big news, Jacob has started preschool on Tuesday and Thursday and is adjusting well. He has not cried yet and seems to like the playground and all the activity. Mommy is having a hard time adjusting and can be seen spying on Jacob on the playground at 11:45 before pick up. Ahhh I guess I am that mother- but oh well. It is just because I love my little boy so much and want him to be 100% happy all of the time.

5 year Anniversary and PTC Sprint

It has been a busy weekend here in PTC. We started out on Friday celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe it has been 5 years. How time flies- it seems like yesterday when we had our first "date" on the tennis court and I beat his booty (according to Mark he let me win- yeah right) and then we walked to Panera. Competitive from the start :) So I guess it was fitting that we did a triathlon together to celebrate the big day. Jenny and Rebecca came down to join the fun as well. Mamaw and Pawpaw were excellent troopers and watched the boys while we did our thing. It was great to all complete it together! It was picture perfect weather and afterwards we went for BBQ and swam and relaxed in the afternoon. We are so blessed to be able to all get together and enjoy each other. I so treasure and appreciate these times more and more as I get older. Life can be so busy and hectic, and everyone has so much going on- it can be hard to focus on what is important- but family is what it is all about.

Lots of Babies

Yesterday we had a pool play date with 2 tennis friends. They have little ones around Noah's age and it was so cute having them all together. Nothing more precious than a bunch of babies in nothing but diapers (very hard to get them all looking at the camera). Noah is getting so close to crawling. He wants to follow around Jacob so bad and manages to move around eventually to where he wants to go, but is getting more and more coordinated each day. Wow- I can't believe he is 6 months old!!! This week has made me realize how tough is is being a parent. Especially as Jacob gets older, I feel the weight of how much responsibility it is to parent a child and discipline them and teach them all you want them to know. They are like little sponges and soak up all that is going on around them. You just want to protect them and expose them only to good things and always be a positive role model for them - but it is hard! It is hard to be the parent you want to be everyday all day. All you can do is the best you can. I pray that God helps me make good decisions as a parent and guides me in how He want me to raise them. And also that God will give me a sense of peace that it is ok to feel like you can't do it all as a parent and that being there for your child and loving them is most important.

Soaking Up the Last Weeks of Summer

It has been a good couple of weeks for the Hossler boys + mommy. Mark heads back to work on Tuesday so we really tried to take advantage of his time off. We headed down to Destin and had a very good time. Both boys went in the ocean and played in the waves which was exciting to see. The water was crystal clear and very nice temperature ( and I am a wimp). The boys slept much better than they usually do when out of town so that was amazing. Jacob loved staying busy and going from the beach to the pool to the bookstore to play trains :) Jacob especially loved the porch and constantly wanted to go out and play and look at the ocean. When we got back daddy had a surprise waiting- a fish tank (donated by Pop). So it has been a work in progress but we now have goldfish. Yes we decided on the 13 cent fish to start out with. It ended up being a good decision as we already had one casualty, who was "swimming on the carpet" (Jacob's words) thanks to Fatty the cat's assistance. So now the fish is "swimming in the toilet" too. But it looks very good now thanks to Pawpaw donating some beautiful coral from his past salt water fish tank hobby. Mark now wants "real fish" and is contemplating buying some semi aggressive ones to weed out the weaker goldfish ( a great display of natural selection he says :) This past weekend we went to the lake with Mamaw and Pawpaw and had a great time. Jacob loved driving the boat and fishing with worms. We even caught some 3 fish which made it exciting for sure. Emma was the best fisher dog and waited patiently for the fish to arrive. It has been a great couple of weeks and we are blessed to be able to enjoy family and relax.

Canyon Lake Texas Part 2

The family reunion was deemed a success. We all got to be together and Peep got to spend time with his great grandchildren which was worth the trip right there. I love how close our family is and how we can just get together and act like ourselves and cook and eat and talk about old times. Family is so important and I realize we need to treasure the time together because it is so precious. It is hard to coordinate everyone schedules and find things everyone likes to do. I  know I wasn't a bowl full of smiles this whole trip due to feeling the stress of traveling with 2 little ones and being off a schedules, but I am so glad we were able to see everyone and just be together. The trip to the winery was a good one. Everyone tasted and enjoyed mostly sweet wines. Jacob loved the crackers and the chocolate chips that came with the tasting. One thing he has mastered this trip is batter tasting thanks to Aunt Jeje and Mamaw. He actually knows how to dip a pecan into the brownie batter ,eat it  and then high five his aunt- my child- I can't believe it- well actually I can :) Uncle Kurt and April gave Jacob his first real football and Noah received his first UT shirt- that is University of TX not TN :) Kurt has imparted some football knowledge on Jacob and he now knows what a fumble is and thinks it is great to drop the ball then yell out "fumble." You have your work cut out for you Kurt :) We also got to see April and Kurt's house which was so nice. Baby Faith's room is so cute and there house was great complete with a swing in the back for Faith when she gets bigger. All and all the trip was a good one with lots of great pics too. We fly out this afternoon- ahhh will I be glad when the flight is over. Hopefully it will be shorter than the trip here. The pilot decided it would be fun to land in Houston, not let us off the plane, get more gas, and then finally land in San Antonio. Not my idea of a good time so hopefully the path home will be more direct.  :) The first picture is such a neat one of Peep and his 3 great grandchildren. The second picture I thought was great. Noahy hitting the bottle after a hard week:)

Family Reunion in Wild Deer Filled TX!

So it has been a fun week so far in hot, humid Texas. We are staying in a house on Canyon Lake. We are all together with 3 babies in tow. Little Faith is 3 weeks old and absolutely precious and is sleeping better and always looks like a little angel. Jacob and Noah have had a ball. The highlight is definitely the deer. There are always at least 5-6 deers waiting to be fed by hand in the drive way. The are completely tame and eat out of your hand. After feeding them all our sandwich bread the first day we got smart and bought a big bag of corn for them. It is really incredible how tame they are and come right up to you. Peep is being a trooper and enjoying his 3 great grandchildren. Sleeping has been challenging for the boys and I. It is just hard traveling with little ones. You kind of need a vacation after your vacation if you know what I mean. We have been to the river to do some tubing- the water was a little chilly. We are headed to a winery for a picnic today. More pictures to come....