play date time!

Last week I had to work a couple of days from home because Roman's school was closed. I had Tiffany and Lindsey come over Wednesday afternoon late so Roman could play with their kids. I checked my emails and sent out a couple of drawings in the meantime, but we got some great play time in too! The kids had a blast!

Roman woke up from his nap to everyone playing at his house. Wow, what a fun way to wake up! Pounding on the ottoman like a drum is always a hit!

After Lincoln found a fun new "toy" to jump on, Roman has now decided that it is fun too! We find him doing this all the time now! Uh oh! Older influences!!! Boys will be boys and I love it!
Silly, silly kids! See, now it's Roman's turn to stand on the ottoman!

Roman and Christian are about to jump off the fireplace

Lincoln wet through his diaper, so Tiffany had to take his pants off to dry. Christian decided that he needed his pants off too like his brother. This is why the Karam twins were pant-less the whole afternoon! Ha Ha!

They loved all the toys, even my exercise ball!

Lincoln came and grabbed my hand, pulled me into the playroom, and pointed at the camera. He simply wanted me to take a picture of him. Seriously, how cute!!!??

It's time for everyone to try to fit in the basket!

We attempted to get a picture of everyone

Chloe had her hands on Roman's shoulders. Adorable! She loves Ro Ro!!

I just love these kids! Thanks girls for bringing them over! We had such a great time!!!

Let it rain, let it rain!

It has been so miserably hot here in Texas lately! Over 100 for days! One evening, it actually rained! Matt is a sucker for rain storms, so he grabbed Roman and they went and played in the rain.

I just love this picture!

Matt was loving the rain! He kept trying to get Roman to "feel" it on his hands.

My boys! This is the outfit that Matt had Roman in when I came home from work. Who needs pants? Roman also insisted on having his tennis shoes on all day!

Someone was not so happy to come inside!!!
He's still cute even when he cries!!

hanging with my best friend!

A couple of weeks ago, Matt and I were hanging out on a Saturday morning with nothing to do. I called and woke up Lindsey (he he) and had the Longs come over for some Saturday morning fun! We filled up the pool and got out some sidewalk chalk. The rest is history! Roman loves his best friend Chloe. He can even say Chlo Chlo now!!

Bubbles and chalk... it doesn't get much better!

Bouncing on the side of the pool was so much fun!

They love to read together!

Roman was being so silly!

Pee pee in the potty!

Yes, at 17 months old my baby boy went pee pee in the potty! I just love saying that.

Now, I have to explain what really happened...

Matt was about to give Roman a bath and we typically leave the new potty right by the bath tub just for Roman to get used to it. Matt happened to take Roman's diaper off and Roman happened to sit on the potty just as Matt was turning on the bath water. The rest is history. So Roman didn't really know that he was doing an awesome big boy thing until Matt praised him lots! I wasn't even in the room! I'm still so proud of my little boy and just had to take a picture of it. Sorry mom, I know I promised not to post the picture. Excitement took over!

A few of my favorite things...

Besides being a mommy, wife, and hard working employee, I am still a girly girl and love girly things. Once in a while we have to stop to think about ourselves too. Here's a list of a few things non baby related that I love...

I love Bravo tv!! The only good thing about Matt being a pilot and traveling a lot is that I get week nights to myself. I veg out on the couch and catch up on my recorded tv shows! Yes, I watch Bethenny getting Married, Real Housewives of NY, and of course my favorite: Rachel Zoe Project! Good quality time well spent!

Matt introduced me to P90X after I had Roman. It is awesome! I'm not going to lie, I've never done the meal plan and don't follow the video orders strictly. I simply do whatever workout video I'm feeling that day. It is amazing! There is absolutely nothing like the AB Ripper X!! Killer! Matt and I like to do the workout videos together in the living room while Roman naps on weekends. Fun times in the Franks household!

I absolutely used to hate Central Market just a few months ago because it's so crowded and feels like a maze. Now, I consider it one of the best places to shop for organic foods. We also LOVE Sprouts. Central Market is located near our church, so Matt and I love to take Roman there for lunch and then grocery shopping after church. The random tastings keep Roman happy the whole time!

There is not a week that goes by that I don't wear my J Brand black skinny jeans. I know that's horrible, but I absolutely love them!! As Rachel Zoe would say, "they're major!" They go with flats, sandals, boots, heels, and pretty much every top that I own. These were such a great purchase!!

After reading Gwyneth Paltrow's blog, Goop, I discovered Tracy Anderson. I really hesitated on purchasing another workout video, especially since we have P90x! Finally, I caved and ordered this post pregnancy video online when Roman was 16 months old! Wow, so glad I did! This video is so great in working your abdominal muscles, arms, and legs. The best part is that it's only 50 minutes long! I can finish it before Roman even wakes up in the mornings. I really plan to utilize this video even more after my next pregnancy. Btw, Matt tried to do 15 minutes of the ab part and gave up! Wow!

I love my new Korres lip butter. The brand is from Greece and uses natural products. I wanted to use products with no mineral oil and the lady at Sephora showed me the brand. I love their hand lotion too!!

So besides rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens, these are a few more of my favorite things!

Seventeen

Roman turned seventeen months old on August 12th. Wow, he's getting so big! He weighs around 27-28 lbs! He is learning every day and is definitely all boy!!

Here's the lastest facts good and bad:

• Roman loves meat! We've given him a whole chicken breast before and he gobbled it down like nothing. CRAZY!
• Roman hates to have his diaper changed! It is a battle each and every time!
• He loves Sesame Street and Barney
• Roman has had the same schedule for a long time now:

7:00-7:30 - Wake up, drink milk

8:00 - 8:30 - breakfast

PLAY

noon - lunch

1:00 - 3:00 ish - nap

3:30 - snack

PLAY

6:00 - dinner

7:00 - bath

7:30 - brush teeth, read books, sign songs, cuddle, bed

• Roman isn't much of a cuddler anymore, he's too busy playing and learning
• Favorite toys are blocks, books, puzzles, and of course balls
• Roman has started throwing fits! He's learning and testing us daily.
• The word "no" from mommy currently means do whatever bad behavior he's been doing over and over! He loves to throw food on the floor! We working on it!
• Roman always says, "pweese" (please) before I give him anything. I just love little kids with some manners!
• Roman has 9 teeth now!
• He got in trouble at school this past month for biting!

rolling around on the floor is always fun!

he's so happy pretty much the majority of the time!

He loves to play pretend "night night" in his crib
this blankie (thanks Bither!) is Roman's favorite ever! We would NEVER leave town without it!

My little sweetie!

My motto for Roman is: don't sweat the petty stuff. He literally has a "go with the flow attitude". hmmmm... just like his daddy! We love you, Roman, so much! You make our lives adventurous and so exciting!

Redneck hot tub!

It's been so hot lately (over 100 every day!) Matt and I have been trying to figure out water activities for the family to keep cool! We went to our condo pool on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. It's so much fun, but chasing a little toddler who has NO FEAR around the pool gets exhausting! We got him geared up in his hat and swim diaper and set up our own pool! We like to call it the redneck hot tub!

All ready to go!

We even set up his car toys in the yard to play with

Mommy loves the pool too!!!

Daddy and Roman enjoying the misting of the hose!

Roman loves the slide!!!

Look at that face!! Adorable!

We had a fabulous weekend of just family time! We cooked and played in the pool all weekend long. Our only outside social interaction was at church on Sunday morning! Wow, that never happens!

Grand Lake Weekend!

Last Thursday evening we packed up and headed to Grand Lake, which is 5 hours away from Dallas. We invited our friends, The Longs, to go with us. They graciously drove their car so we could all fit together. Matt had to fly/work, so he met us at the lake late that night after flying into Tulsa airport and driving a hour to the lake. It was such a great weekend!

Roman loved being able to watch Barney on the DVD player!
Matt helped make breakfast the next morning. Bacon anyone?!Friday morning my mom, brother, and his family all drove to the lake house to meet us! Chloe and Roman loved having Caroline and Catherine there!
Meema and Roman on the boat! He got so sleepy!
I got to go skiing a couple of times!
Elizabeth and me with her girls!
My brother and his family! I love that they got to come visit us at Matt's lake house!

Whitney drove in town with the triplets too! Friday afternoon, there were 14 kids at the lake house under the age of 8! Wow!
We got a Wilson family picture!

This picture makes me so happy! It is Roman with his cousins on both sides of the family! Reagan, Roman, William, Gracie, Catherine, and Caroline

My sister in laws! Elizabeth, me, and Whitney. This was the first time they met!
My mom and me!
Nothing like a boat filled with cute kiddos!Boating was so fun! Matt's cousin Jennifer had the other boat full of kids!
I've never seen so many adorable children!
Friday night after my mom and brother left, we bathed Chloe and Roman together and got them ready for bed. They were holding hands! Adorable!

There is nothing better than enjoying a beautiful sunset on the porch at the lake!
Cheers!
The next morning the kids started the day with a good jump on the trampoline!

Cousin Macy is amazing with the little ones!

Breakfast at the lake is always fun! Coffee please!!I love that trampoline too!

Chloe didn't really like swimming in the water. I think it scared her when Lindsey jumped in!
Boating is so much fun! They became professional "lakers"!
So cute! Chloe fell asleep on my arm. She loves "Ashes"Love those kids!
Lindsey and Chloe
Ash and Roman
Saturday afternoon, Bill and Pam drove up to see us and Roman. Roman LOVES his grandparents!

Swimming on the porch is so much fun too!Late Saturday night poor Corey just didn't want to go to bed, so he fell asleep outside on the porch.

Sunday before we left we got a pic of the three youngest boy additions to the Jones family. Lee with baby James, Erika and Henry, and Ashley with Roman. These three boys will be buddies for life!
Gotta get one last jump before we leave town!
Bunnies on the trampoline! Man, life doesn't get much better!We had to take one last boat trip early Sunday morning before we left.

I love the lake so much! It's always so hard to leave!
Chloe and Roman kept holding hands in the car ride home. Adorable!
We put the little ones in the very back. They did amazing in the car ride!
Captain was so tired but enjoyed Chloe and Roman too!

Nap time!!
After leaving the lake, Roman was exhausted! We like to call it a lake hangover! The family lake house is seriously like Disney World! There's so much to do and so many other kids to play with. I think everyone had such a fabulous time!
This was such a memorable weekend for us. Not only did we enjoy showing the lake house to our good friends, we also got to spend so much time with family. It meant so much to me to see Roman get to play with his cousins on both sides of the family and see both sets of Grandparents all in one weekend. It seriously brought tears to my eyes at different times. God is so good!!