Welcome, Baby Rachel!

Rachel Kate Lowe arrived Friday, June 19 at 1016 am via C-section, due to some complications during labor. She was 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 20.5 in. long. She has strawberry blond hair and looks a lot like her big sister!
Sydney LOVES her sister, and holds her a lot! She's going to be a great babysitter someday!
And now there are 4! Rob, I know how you feel, being so outnumbered!!
Sydney meeting her new little sister.
Such a pretty girl coming home from the hospital in her little pink dress!
Isn't she ADORABLE! She's all pink and white, just like a baby girl should look!

AJ finally got to meet her when she was 5 days old...what a cutie! So wide awake in this picture!
AJ is a pro at tiny babies now!

"OK, this photo shoot is making me tired!!"
Sam fell asleep right as we got over there, so we put him on the couch to sleep, and when Rachel fell asleep, I saw a photo op, so I put her on the couch next to Sam...unfortunately you can't see Sam's face really, but it's still so cute! Two "binky babies!"
He looks GIANT next to this tiny pink baby girl!

Congratulations to Rob, Sheree, and Sydney!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD,
RACHEL KATE!!

The Jump Place

So we decided to go to the jump place before AJ left on this trip...he always has a day/morning off before leaving so we try to do something together as a family. So here are the pix.

Me after sliding down one of the bouncy castles
Josh sliding down
Me and my big boy on the Cars jump castle
AJ sliding out in his usual graceful manner from the obstacle course one
Josh in the tunnel of the obstacle course
Daddy helping Josh climb over the bars in the obstacle course...they loved this thing, they did it like 3 or 4 times in a row!
Climbing the wall of the obstacle course...Josh always had a hard time with this one...
Josh and Daddy "chasing" in the Cars castle
My hubby!
Josh jumping...he LOVES the Jump place now...it used to terrify him! He's come a long way...now he pretends his blocks, blankets, etc are the jump place and jumps on them here at home all the time!

Kayaking in Lake Houston (in May)

This is from our trip home to Houston in May. On Memorial Day we took the double kayak that AJ's dad built out on Lake Houston. So these are REALLY late, but I keep forgetting to put them on here. Whoops!

This is Kara and Chris, who took the first turn out in the kayak...they tipped it over! It was hilarious watching them try to get back in, and across the lake...they never did get back in the boat, and unfortunately the video of them walking it across the lake, while very funny, is also too long to post here. You'll have to content yourselves with a picture.

Or two!
AJ went out with Kara holding Josh...
and with Chris holding Josh...
Josh in his life vest

A video of AJ rowing with Josh and Kara...and nearly tipping over!!

Videos from Father's Day

The video on the left is in the morning, after Josh and I went to get donuts from the store and came back and gave Daddy his presents. What I didn't catch on video was Josh running through the house yelling, "Happy Fader's Day, Daddy...I want donuts, I hungwy!!"

The one on the right is an ADORABLE clip of the conversation b/t Sam and his daddy that evening. SO STINKIN' CUTE!!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! OK, so this post is a few days late, but these were pics and videos taken ON Father's day, and I've been busy lately!
My guys on the front porch. Had to bribe Josh to sit down and smile for the picture...
ALL the guys, including Gus! He did really good, no leash and he didn't even attempt to run away!!
These are pics of Josh's rash...I don't know if you can see the spots or not in these pics, but he had "polka dots" literally from head to toe! They covered even his head under his hair! Poor kid...but now we know...NO AMOXICILLIN!!
Very tired and grumpy Josh who REALLY didn't want me taking pics of his polka dots. That's what he called them and he told EVERYONE he met about them, would lift his shirt to show them, and then tell them about throwing up at Ms. Anne-Marie's house.

New stalling technique

Josh just went to bed. It's 1005...and it took him FOREVER to stay in his bed while we were in there...BUT...he went potty twice during that time, BY HIMSELF! We had to help him get his diaper off, but he pulled down his pants, got on the potty (without a stool!), went, got off, wiped, flushed, and came back in to get his diaper and pants back on!! Maybe this was the turning point and he'll be back to pottying in the toilet instead of his diaper again!!! Hurray!

Josh's haircut and rash

And some cute pics of Sydney, Josh, and Sam when Sydney came over for awhile one evening. Isn't this adorable??
Other than Josh's "Heil, Hitler" hand...
OK, this is Josh's new haircut and the matching Monkey clothes I found for the boys!
Josh and his brother...doesn't that hair look so much cooler and neater for summer??
Notice the monkey tail on the back of Sam's outfit...the reason I decided to actually buy these outfits for them!
Slightly blurry pic of Josh's rash. This was taken in the afternoon at the dr. office...it was much more clear that morning. Now it's almost invisible, after 3.5 days of antifungal cream and antibiotics. Still not sure which it is, ringworm or Lyme's.
Better pic of it. That morning you could really see a distinct white area with the bumpy red around it and some small red dots in the center.

Random pics from the past week or two

Josh playing "camping trip"...thanks, Mom, for the idea! We made a tent with a sheet and chairs, and ate our trail mix (pretzels and dried fruit mix), which we carried in our lunch box on the blanket with our lantern/fire (depending on what we were doing...ie, we roasted imaginary marshmallows and hot dogs over it). Turtle came, too.

Josh and Sam with their matching "Mommy's little Monster" pj's...so sweet of Josh to try to console Sam here!
Two brothers, so cute!

Both hamming it up for the camera!
Josh stuck in a box...he was mad at me for laughing and grabbing the camera instead of pulling him out!
Sam having a conversation with ducky and doggy
(from the ducky/doggy point of view)
"Hey, guys!"
Josh sitting on the exam table at Sam's 2 month check up
"Put 'em up!"
Totally stole this idea from Jessica...thanks, Jess! I mean the writing on the paper how old they are thing, not the baby thing...
Punked out Josh
OK, so he's wearing his bunny ears backwards...could become a fashion!!