Home again...Home again

We are finally settling back into our routine after our trip to Fort Worth. Surprisingly enough the drive went very well, it did take us an extra 30 minutes to pack up the vehicle for two kiddos. The only major bump we hit, is we had to stop in College Station to move car seats around!

First and foremost my brother is doing well. He is still experiencing quite a bit of pain on the right side of his face. He did see the Neurologist again, and right now we are in a holding patter for another six weeks. I will keep everyone posted. Overall we had a wonderful trip to my parents house. A great time was had by all, except maybe Daddy who had to bunk with Bella for the first time. Needless to say he found out why she needed a "big" bed. She moves a TON during the night ! Bella and Baby Frankie had so much fun with their grandparents. Bella showed off as usual, and Frankie loved all the extra cuddles. Bella also LOVED mimi and papa's pool, we couldn't keep her out of it. I think she did scare everyone a bit with absolutely no fear of running and jumping in..going under water etc. We are going to have to keep an eye on that one. Frankie and I also helped my dad put up their new fence, so we all got a little extra workout in as well ;-) My favorite part was being able to take a shower by myself for the first time in months ;-) !!!!

We headed back home on Sunday to tons of unpacking and laundry. We jumped straight into a busy week. Monday we went to a playdate and it was so nice for Bella to see and play with all her friends. Big news for our playgroup is that officially all the boys of summer have arrived!! Baby Frankie is one of four boys born within 6-7 weeks of eachother. The last boy arrived on Monday morning tipping the scales at 9lbs. We all can't wait for next summer, the boys are going to have a BLAST together. But our favorite part of Monday is we received a visit from Aunt T. She stopped by to say Good-bye, as she is officially a Dallas resident now. We miss her SOOOO MUCH already, but are so proud of her and we can't wait to see all that she accomplishes. Bella did her Aunt proud by finally saying her name to her directly "WahhLuu Aunt T" !!! Yesterday we went swimming at one of our friends pools, and it was wonderful a perfect oasis. We had a great time !! I also had my final doctor's appointment yesterday, and the nurses stole Frankie from me the entire visit. My OB is still so proud that he delivered his first "Frank" in 30 years. (He still thinks we named him after himself) We are finally taking it easy today with cleaning etc.
Bella and Baby Frankie are doing GREAT !!! Frankie is awake ALOT now, and certainly proving himself to be a mama's boy. Which I'm secretly loving for I know it won't last forever. Bella is still obsessed with animals, animal sounds, Dora, and coloring. She LOVES to talk and I still can't believe she is talking in three word sentence. Her favorite of the moment..."What is that?" and "Whatcha doing?" She also is beginning to mimic songs now..it is so cute to hear her try to sing. That just about catches things up, sorry for all the pictures but there were way to many cute ones.

Frankie and his mini-me...and his bunk mate!

Hello Dolly !

Another week has gone by without a post, but I have a good excuse this time. My sweet precious angel decided to knock over my laptop and break it :-( We are waiting on the part to come in to repair, thankfully Daddy fixed an old one temporarily for me. We wrapped up last week with lots of playtime and running errands (another typical week for us). Bella loved the ending of her week though..Friday I babysat one her friends Kylie and they had tons of fun playing together. Saturday we had a birthday party and Bella had sooo much fun, she didn't want to leave. Sunday was the best day as we had our weekly dinner with Grandma Bird! I still can't explain how much Bella loves her bird, they played nonstop (of course we had a major meltdown when she left).

So far this week we've stayed close to home as we were unsure about the hurricane situation. Thankfully Houston won't be hit except for some rain. We did make it over to her friend Bryce's house yesterday. It was so nice to get out of the house and even better I finally received my refresher course from Jennifer regarding the baby carriers. I now can go hands free while shopping !!! YAHOO !!!

We've been sending extra loves to daddy as he has been working super late all week. We got a good dose of what "emergency management" involves this week. I'm so proud of him, he has been leaving super early and coming home late every night. Not only that it once again reminds me how much he helps me when he comes home. I'm TIRED !!! I don't think I could make it as a single parent. Hopefully once Dolly passes things will be back to normal for a while.

Bella is doing FANTASTIC !! We are still working with her on a daily basis. But she is currently obsessed with animals and what sounds they make. I'm running out of sounds to make up....Her new favorite is camel and you have to be here to hear her sound ;-) So hopefully the ABC's will follow soon.

Frankie is doing wonderful! Still eating and sleeping like a champ. He definitely has his awake period one in the morning and one in the evening. He is finally started to break out in little smiles more frequently, which just melts my heart. I still can't believe how much being a mother of two is such an incredibly blessing and adventure. You learn all new tricks..and Frankie still can't get over how much I can carry with walking an almost two year old, carrying a car seat, diaper bag, purse, and groceries!

Pending Frankie's work situation we may be going to Fort Worth for the weekend for some fun and mimi and papa's house! and check on my brother Ethan.

I'm hoping today we will make a trip to the park !!! and on a side note we are so excited to hear that all of our loved ones are back home from their trip to the Bahamas. We missed them SO MUCH!!

Quality time......

A quick recap on our quality family filled weekend....

Thursday...the kids and I went to a playdate with our playgroup. The first "big" playdate for Frankie. We had so much fun, and Bella had a blast seeing and playing with all of her friends again. Frankie was a hit, and enjoyed all the snuggles from the moms!! We all made it home in one piece, even though it poured on us running from the car. (Mental note get my umbrella back from my husband)

Friday....Stayed close to home as we received the bad news, that my brother may have had another stroke or a severe case of Bells Palsy. We are still waiting on the final word from his doctor. Frankie and I were on standby most of the weekend, in case we needed to make a trip to Fort Worth. On a happy note Daddy came home early and we all played together...who knew daddy colored Dora so well ;-)

Saturday...Bella received another special visit from her Grandpa, and she was quite upset to see him and her Uncle leave with daddy. Daddy came home and Bella had a blast outside in her pool with daddy. Baby Frankie and I were inside most of the day, as he hit a growth spurt so I didn't move the couch very much ;-) Our thoughts and prayers were with our Aunt T today and all weekend as she made her trek to Dallas...sniff sniff...I miss her terribly all ready.

Sunday....We had a surprise dinner with Grandma Bird (I don't think Bella can run fast enough to the front door when she arrives) !!! She also washed all the cars with daddy and helped with the yard work. Baby Frankie and I again stayed near the couch ALL DAY !! ;-) Gotta love those growth spurts !!

Today we have had a great morning with the three of us playing together. Baby Frankie is full and alert. His big sister loves shaking his rattle for him!! So far today we have colored, called mimi & papa, made a new carrot cupcake recipe(here's hoping for a pass), and played w/legos!! In true Curl Family OCD fashion, Bella also assisted in drawing names for Curl Family Gift Exchange.

On that note Merry Christmas in July!!! Enjoy the pictures !!

We are OBSESSED with our new Dora coloring book from her cousins...

Daddy loves cuddle time...

The kiddos first bath time together....

Another week goes by...

I really need to try harder on updating more frequently. I'll start off with our holiday weekend, it was beyond wonderful. All of Frankie's family came over for food and fun, the best part was that included the Haun's (My SIL & BIL and their 2 boys). A great time was had by all, especially Bella and Carter who had a blast playing together. I can't wait for our next family get together. Saturday we went to a birthday for one of Bella's friends, and Daddy came along to watch baby Frankie. I've always explained to Frankie how Bella is extremely social everywhere we go, but I don't think he ever believed me. Well he saw first hand she was in the middle of the room laughing, dancing, clapping, playing etc. It was so much fun! Sunday was wonderful Bella, her and daddy woke up early and spent the entire day together. I didn't see them again until the afternoon. I don't think her smile could have been any bigger.

This week we have stayed busy with running errands and playing at home. We were going to hang out with Bella's friend Bryce today. But she is running a slight fever??? so we are going to stay home just in case.

Baby Frankie is still doing GREAT !!! He is such an incredibly mellow child, and so far everything has been perfect. He smiled for the first time yesterday, and my heart just melted. He was in my lap and I was just talking to him and he gave me the famous Triflio man half-smile. I can't wait for each day to see what he does.

Bella is still in an obsessive book mood. We must read a 100 a day, but no complaints here. Her favorite word of the day...open and close...she goes around opening and closing everything! Unfortunately her meltdowns have increased and turned into tantrums :-( It's official she has hit the terrible twos. The good news is they don't typically last to long.....Ahhh the joys !!

For Frankie and I....our thoughts have been elsewhere this week. With my cousin Mandy who was married over the holiday weekend (we can't wait to see pictures), my cousin Megan who had her wisdom teeth pulled, and our hearts our bittersweet with our precious sister Tiffany. She is moving to Dallas this weekend to start her career, her future, her new-life !!! We are going to miss her so much words can't even describe. I will miss her surprise pop-ins to visit the kiddos and I the most. She is so full of life and joy, and we are all blessed as she lights up our lives. More to come on that topic...as it still makes me a bit weepy....

4 weeks old today !!

I can't believe four weeks have gone by already. Baby Frankie is changing every day and we are soaking it all up. He is beginning to LOVE bath time and is awake more and more every day. He is so incredibly mellow and is happy with just about anyone and anywhere. He continues to eat like a champ and has managed to squeeze in a four hour stretch at night that mom is LOVING !!!

Another reason to be in awe my baby girl is officially 20months old. I still can't believe my baby is almost two years old. She is talking more and more every day...each day with her is pure bliss as you never know what is going to come out of her mouth or what incredible adventure she will take you on. She definitely lives in the moment...loves to be the center of attention...loves everything girly (she wore three hats today)...love being outside...loves to dance...loves anything dangerous :-( mom is still not happy about this one. Most recently she has become obsessed with animals. She is obsessed with her baby brother and has a MAJOR MELT DOWN if she can't see him or if someone other than mom or dad go near him. I'm not going to complain it could be worse.

Frankie and I are still doing great, we have had a couple of sleepless rough nights. But all in all everything is going fairly smoothly. I do have to give big thanks to my amazing husband, as this weekend he stepped up to the plate and gave 1000%. Unfortunately I have mastitis again, and was very sick this weekend. He amazed me with how well he juggled everything. Thankfully I finally feeling better, after seeing the doctor and getting antibiotics. That just about wraps everything up!

Cuddle time with daddy.....

We are looking forward to a fun-filled family-filled holiday weekend !!! Most importantly are hearts will be with our sweet cousin Mandy as she marries the man of her dreams this weekend in Wisconsin. We so wish we could be with her...