To top off our eventful weekend, we took Ethan to the Sesame Street Live performance. Ethan's Omi and Opa took him last year while we were in Cabo San Lucas and we wanted the chance to take him this year. Despite the fact that Eric and I got 4 hours of sleep the night before (see the next post below), it was still a great time.

We told him all morning we were going to see Elmo but I don't think he really understood what we meant until we got there. I think I look more excited in this picture than he does.

It was so fun to see his reaction once the lights went out and the concert started. He was literally on the edge of his seat.

That is until he decided to lay down on the floor. This just confirms our decision to wait another year before taking him to Disneyland. His attention span is still incredibly short and he lost interest about halfway through the show.

Getting very sleepy here. We left shortly after this right before the show ended. Major Sesame Street overkill. I think we'll take a break from it for awhile.

This weekend our good friend Ira flew in from New York to go to the Kanye West concert with us. It was Eric's early birthday present and we had an absolute blast! The concert was held outdoors at Red Rock Casino in Summerlin. It far exceeded our expectations. It was great to hang out with Ira since we don't see him very often.

The crew waiting for an elevator right before the concert.

We had to get a full shot of Jason's awesome outfit. Notice the old school Pumas with the green stripe. Classic.

This is the one of the only clear pictures I took of Kanye on the big screen.

The boys. Another classic photo. Thanks again Ira for flying in for the weekend. As always it was a blast. Also, thank you for keeping us up to date with the latest music and fashion trends so we're not living in 2003. Once again you proved you are so much cooler than us because you are from New York. Ha! I just had to get that one in.

The arrival of spring has brought beautiful weather to Vegas and it has given us the chance to spend many evenings in our backyard with the boys. They are loving the playscape and it is teaching Ethan to be patient and take turns with the swing. Yes- he is still insisting on being pushed in the baby swing due to falling straight on his head when attempting to use the "big kid" swing. We'll be working on that one until he builds up his confidence again.

Mason is now a full two inches longer than Carson and he weighs a pound less. He is our happy little string bean. He is definitely catching up to Carson in the mobility department. He insists on standing and barely holding on to things for support. We joke that he needs to wear a padded helmet because he is always banging into things.

Carson is our short and chubby yummy boy. He reminds us so much of Ethan at this age that sometimes when we look at pictures we have to look at the date the picture was taken to tell if it is one of Ethan's baby photos. He is cruising along and will be walking in no time!

Here is Eric doing double time in the backyard. Whenever he walks in the door from work, they both immediately turn to the sound of his voice and begin kicking their legs in their booster seats until he comes over and sees them. They love their daddy!

I finally have a place for Ethan's overflow of artwork he brings home from school every week. His teacher says that painting is his absolute favorite thing to do and I love that he gets the chance to do it every day that he is there. He loves seeing his artwork on display in his playroom and tells me about "Ethan's paintings" all the time.

Ah the joy of mint ice-cream. No one in this house but me and Ethan appreciate the beauty of mint ice-cream. This is how I know he is my biological son and there was no mix up down at the fertility clinic. I offered it to him tonight and he couldn't get enough.

He had me rolling tonight when, after finishing his second bowl he looked at me with a serious face and said, "Mmmm, this ass-cream sure is tasty!" Yep, that's my son!

We have potty training on the brain in the Payne household. This comes coupled with the fact that Ethan has decided to start hiding in strange places around and outside the house to do his business. Yesterday I caught him outside in the backyard squatting next to the air conditioning unit. I think he is trying to tell us something here...

A few days before the air conditioning unit incident, he decided to have his bathroom break in the laundry hamper. This is all happening with clothes still on by the way. Thank goodness for small things.

In combination with the odd potty areas, he has suddenly wanted to watch Elmo's Potty Time five hundred times in a row. Normally I would put my foot down, especially since Ethan has a habit of getting hooked on one show and not letting it go. This dvd however is welcomed with open arms. I can't even imagine what life would be like with two boys in diapers instead of three. Wow.

If potty training were only as easy as it is on Sesame Street. In this scene Abby Cadaby is so excited about picking out her new underpants that she can hardly contain herself. Elmo is looking at her like the rest of us and thinking, "Get a grip, how exciting can puppet underpants be?" So, I will of course keep the blog updated as we embark on the exciting new chapter of potty training. In the meantime, I have to get used to "pee-pee" "poo-"poo" "wee-wee" "woo-"woo" coming out of Ethan's mouth all the time. Let's just hope he doesn't do this in public!

This week has been off to a rocky start so I thought I'd post some happy pictures of the boys for a little pick me up. At the start of the week we found out that my grandparent's dog (and my dog from part of the time when I was in highschool) Maggie, had to be put to sleep due to stomach cancer. She lived a long and happy 14 years and we will miss our Mags very much. As if that wasn't sad enough, we found out this morning that one of Eric's co-workers passed away last night due to complications from a motorcycle accident this weekend. Things like this really make you appreciate every day you have a little bit more.

Now that I have gotten the depressing news out of the way, it's time to post some happier updates of the boys. We had such a fun weekend! The weather was fantastic so we decided to take everyone to the park on Saturday. Our builder, Pulte, threw a homeowner appreciation party with a bounce house and tons of food and games for the kids. We spent a couple of hours bouncing, eating, and swinging.

This picture doesn't really go along with our weekend but I finally decided to do away with the big highchairs and move to booster seats. The boys love them and it's less of a mess to clean up. Why didn't I do this earlier?? Live and learn I guess.

Mason was loving the swing on Saturday!

I saw a picture of Marcia Cross' (the actress from Desperate Housewives) twin girls both in a toddler swing together and thought it was a brilliant idea. It's such a nice thing to have them in there together. This way I can still push Ethan and he doesn't feel left out.

Mason equally loved the swing. They must have stayed in there for close to 45 minutes. Now that the twins can do a little more, going to the park with 3 little ones isn't such a hectic event!

This year we decided to join our friends at their church for an Easter egg hunt and pictures with the Easter Bunny. Ethan and Danielle had a blast this year hunting for eggs. He actually gave Danielle some eggs instead of grabbing each one and shouting, "Mine!" Yes, our little Ethan is growing up.

This was the best picture I got of the two of them. There was so much going on that it was hard to get their attention.

The twins did really well at the egg hunt. They sat in the stroller and watched all of the kids run around looking for eggs. They were both fascinated by the Easter bunny.

Here we are attempting to get a family photo taken. Even though none of the kids are looking at the camera, we had no tears in the photo and I consider that a successful snapshot! Happy Easter!

Carson's disposition has definitely changed in the past month or so now that he can pull himself up to a standing position. He has gone from easily irritated to quite the happy little baby. As long as he is standing up he has a smile on his face. The only problem with this new talent is that he wants to pull up and stand on everything including his brothers. This annoys them quite a bit but I think Ethan secretly enjoys the attention.

Carson's favorite toy right now is the Leap Frog learning table. He can stand there for the longest time. He hasn't quite figured out how to reach for the floor though, so he just falls backwards when he has had enough. This results in a huge screaming fit until he realizes he is okay.

Mason is not quite as stable on his feet as Carson yet (as you can see from the picture). He really could care less about pulling up and standing. If we place him there next Carson then he really enjoys it but he is probably happier doing the army crawl when he wants to get somewhere. This picture cracks me up because he looks as surprised as we were that he was standing up.

I think we only have a few pictures of Mason when he is not grinning from ear to ear. Nothing including Ethan hitting him on the head seems to bother him. That quality will come in handy growing up with two brothers!

I'm accepting the fact up front that I am no Martha Stewart. Not even close! This was my one attempt to get crafty for Easter. I saw this cute activity in a Parents magazine where you decorate eggs with sprinkles using corn syrup. I had a couple of my friends and their kids over to attempt this craft. It actually turned out pretty cute and of course the kids couldn't have been less interested. They played while we decorated. Oh well, I'll try again next year when Ethan is a little older.

This past week I took a break from updating the blog because we traveled to Texas for a wedding and to see family. I was gone a full week from the twins which was extremely difficult but it made it even more exciting to come home and hug them tight. So many wonderful memories were made and I cannot possibly start this blog with any other picture then me and Joe Simpson. Yes, I know many of you will think it is the dumbest thing ever to be so obsessed with Jessica Simpson's father. I must go ahead and state for the record that I'm prepared to be laughed at and I'm going ahead with it anyway.

Eric spotted him at the bar we were at after the wedding reception. After a few drinks I got up the nerve to ask him if he would take a picture with me. I get completely starstruck in situations like these but I just had to do it. He was extremely nice and I'm sure he loved the attention. I mean, really, what else does he have going on but to hang out at a bar with his daughters ex-boyfriends?

If you don't know who Joe Simpson is then you really won't know who this guy is. Especially since he looks nothing like he used to. Not only did my friend Lindsay and I see Joe Simpson, we saw Ryan Cabrera. Ashley Simpson (Joe's daughter) used to date him. He has a couple of hit songs and although we were cracking up over his new look of the terrible v-neck shirt and Debbie Gibson Electric Youth 80's hat, he posed for a picture with us and I was just as excited nonetheless. My sister said he looks like a woman and I have to agree.

Me and my yummy niece Kaitlyn. After a few days of hanging out with her I have decided that it is possible for a 6 month old to be more fashionable than a grown woman.

One of the best T-shirts Ethan owns, courtesy of Uncle Ira from New York. Ethan wore his shirt proudly on the plane ride home. We can't wait for our next trip!

My little Ethan man swinging like a monkey!

Eric and I just absolutely adore our little niece and only little girl in the family, Miss Kaitlyn Elizabeth. She is in that cute chubby baby phase where every facial expression is worth getting on camera. We had more fun seeing what girly little outfit she would debut next.

Here is the crazy duo, Ryan and Ethan. They had a blast as usual, even when Ethan was constantly hitting him for who knows what. It was equally as fun to see the progress Ryan has made and the little person he is becoming. He kept me laughing, especially when he so candidly pointed out, "Aunt Cindy, every time Ethan comes to my house he makes a huge mess." Love that kid.

Eric, Jason and Ira got to enjoy a great afternoon at Hula Hut on Saturday afternoon before the wedding. Hula Hut has to be one of our all time favorite places and is a must when we were in Austin. I was only jealous for a second because I was having equally as much fun at the movies seeing 'Horton Hears a Who' with my sister and the kiddos. Buttery popcorn rates way up there with Hula Hut's yummy margaritas!

Ethan and I began our trip in Houston with my Nana and Papa. One of our activities included taking Ethan to a bounce house so he could burn off some energy. My Papa who is 83 years young decided to join in the fun. It was an absolute blast for Ethan to have his great grandfather bouncing around with him. It goes to show that age is only a number! I spoke with my Papa today and he said he is thinking about going back for some more exercise.

I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of my Papa going down the giant slide but this one will definitely do. We all went home and took a nap after this little adventure. Great fun!

I absolutely love this picture. It sums up exactly how I feel about my Papa. He has to be my number one hero without a doubt. I have absolutely no idea where he gets his energy but he is without question one of the most gentle and loving people I have ever known. He completely adores his great grandkids and they adore him right back. I feel so blessed that my children get to know him and will have lasting memories of my Papa and Nana.

I can also say the same thing about my Nana. When Ethan is around her he has her undivided attention. She dotes on him and brags about how Ethan Harrison Payne sounds like the name of our future President. I hope we can move back home soon so the twins will have the same opportunity that Ethan has had. We cherish our visits to Texas without a doubt!