Spend the night party

Trevor was traveling again Wednesday so we packed up and headed to Ammy and Bamp's after camp. We played and played. I was able to slip away and get my hair done while Ammy and Bamp graciously took care of the kiddos. They weren't easy either. Avery had two days of no naps, which meant she was a little emotional and very tired. Dylan, well, he has learned to throw little fits when you don't do what he likes (which is walking around with him letting him hold your hands). He doesn't realize it is painful for the adult following him around. I know both Avery and Dylan loved every second with them and so did the Grandparents. When we were leaving Avery was so sad. We will be back soon! We LOVE getting to spend time with Ammy and Bamp!

The boy on the move...



Ave and Am making french toast, yum!

Boating Bananza

Another great weekend up at the lake. We ALWAYS have a great time with the Posener's! Picnic lunches at the beach, boat rides, tubing, dinner at the Tiki Hut and lots of laughs and splashes. It was the perfect way to enjoy this hot, hot summer! Thank you Carrie Beth and Robby!




No need for sound machines when you can nap to the hum of the boat!

Girls Night!

It seems like forever...but it sure was fun to have a night out with the ladies. Lucky to have good friends that have lasted over the years!

Dog days of summer

It is HOT outside! You either stay inside on days like this or head to the pool. Well, after ballet and meeting Daddy for lunch we thought we would stay in and relax. Something we haven't really done much of this summer. Dylan took it easy in his diaper. The poor guys was dripping with sweat after I made him play in the garage while I installed his new big boy car seat. He was having so much fun crawling around I ran down to get my camera and when I came back upstairs he was quite comfortable in Riley's dog bed.





Avery, well, she found some cute Mickey Christmas PJ's in her closet and decided she would have a PJ party with all of her dolls and animals. Her drawers are destroyed as her friends are wearing the items that were neatly folded and organized in them. And she, well... she is sweating but happy in her fleecey pj's.





She also asked to take a picture of me and Dylan. Not bad for a a rookie!

Happy Birthday Dylan Bruce!

Our baby is 9 months old today! My how time flies! He is just as sweet as cuddly as the day he was born, only a lot bigger. I am guessing he is over 22 pounds. He is crawling everywhere and today he made it from the garage, up the step and into the house. He is still very laid back and calm. Dylan has always been a bit shy and smiley. Currently, he has a little case of separation anxiety which makes it difficult to get things done. He likes food but doesn't love it. He goes to bed at 7 wakes up around 4 eats and sleeps until 7 or 8am. I have to break that habit :) He is getting more vocal and will let you know what he likes and doesn't like. No words just yet. As for the bragging... he can clap, play peek-a-boo, raise his arms up to do "so big", wave hi, bye, and night night. He is enjoying books more and loves his Daddy! He is still in awe of his big sister. We all love this big guy and are so proud of his fantastic 9 months! Love you D!

Why is it that Daddy is everyones favorite?

From the second Daddy walks through the door everyone wants a piece of him. The dog starts a high pitch bark that doesn't stop until he throws her tennis balls out back. Avery jumps up and down and greets him with hugs and kisses. Dylan kicks and makes noise until he gets a hug and held. I just want to talk and have some adult time and there simply isn't enough of him to go around! He does a great job of pleasing all of us though and it ain't easy. With the rain this weekend and all of us being stuck home I think it is safe to say he is looking forward to returning to work tomorrow just to get a break from the family madness! We love you Daddy!

Walking is Dylan's new favorite thing. It is pretty neat except that it really hurts the back!! He would do it all day if he could.



A courtesy from the ballerina

Princess Diva

"Girls, if you make me take a nap, none of my dreams will come true!"
-straight from the mouth of my little princess



Avery truly believes she is a princess. She even told me she would put an evil spell on me last time I was disciplining her. I guess that means she has seen too many Disney movies. Played dress up too often. Sings her Disney songs too much. And, has a fantastic imagination.



Ammy and Bampa gave her this adorable talking princess mirror that she just takes everywhere she goes. What are we going to do with this girl?

Auntie Tricia spent two fabulous days with us! She spoiled us and helped me take care of a sick little Dylan. I loved getting to hang with her after the children were in bed. Gosh, I love my sister! She also treated Avery to a special McDonald's breakfast. Safe to say she has won the little princess over! Thanks Tricia for spending your time off with us! We love you!

Dylan, my little man, is on the move. He is getting the hang of this crawling thing and it won't be too long and he is going to be into everything! He continues to be my sweet thing!

Cooper is ONE!!!

Saturday was Cooper's First Birthday Party!!! We had so much fun celebrating with the Mayer's. I can hardly believe he is one! It seems like yesterday we were visiting him at Northside.



Stacey planned the cutest party. Check out the cake!





Avery also jumped off the diving board for the first time. She jumped without water wings into water that was 10 feet deep. She couldn't get enough and Trevor and I are so proud of our water baby!

Friday fun

Friday evening we met Daddy at Kangazoom. It was Dylan's first trip to the bouncy play place. He loved looking around. The kids area was fine but he hated the bounce houses! Avery was her bouncy self and raced around jumping and climbing everything in sight. It was a fun way to beat the heat and start out a fun weekend!

Build-a-Bear

Last week we had an awesome outing with the Posener Ladies. We headed to the mall for a little Build-a-Bear fun, lunch, and completed the day with a trip to the candy store. We all had so much fun!

Of course our girls picked out pink teddy bears with pink outfits. The experience was really neat. They were able to stuff their own bears, give them a heart,give them a bath, dry them, dress them, and put bows on their ears. We have had Pinkarella for four days and Avery brings her everywhere. Our build-a-bear date was a birthday gift from the Posener's and it was such a great idea. THANK YOU!!!! We had so much fun and Avery thought it was so special to make her own bear!

Catching up

Every summer I feel as though we get the opportunity to catch up with old friends. Especially teacher friends. Today we met up with Erin and Carter. Erin was my "big sister" in my sorority at college. She is so much fun! Currently, she has a 3 year old son, and a baby on the way in December. We met up at the mall and had lunch and let the kids play. So much fun catching up!

Before bed we also held a mini-dress up session. As you can see Avery is really getting into dress up! While Dylan is really into standing and walking around! Fun!


Last week, we met up with Stacey...always a great day! We had lunch and she helped me out with the kiddos. Having her around is so relaxing!! She also asked ME for fashion advice, I hope I helped!

Rockin and Rollin

So that big boy of ours is rolling and gets up on all fours and rocks. However, he isn't crawling quite yet. It is kind of bittersweet. I want him to start moving but, he is my baby and I love that I still get to hold him even if it is proving to be more difficult every day.

Over the weekend, he decided that he prefers to walk. He has the motion down but needs you to hold his hands. In all it is very impressive and his balance is getting better and better. But, it sure is tough on the back, and makes it impossible to get anything done.

Dylan is still a sweetie. Laughing and playing most of the day. He has changed so much in these first 8 months and I can hardly imagine what the next four will bring. We love you Dylan!!! Keep up the good work!

Pretty, Pink, Fingers!

Early this week I was able to sneak away for an hour and get a much needed manicure/pedicure. It had been over two months and I was desperate. When I got home Avery immediately noticed. And all week she would say, "Mommy...look at those pretty pink nails!!" After about the 100th time I asked her if she would like to go to the salon and get hers done. Her next question, "Is that what big girls do?" My reply, "yes."

So, we made it to the nail salon right when they opened Saturday morning. Avery was ecstatic! "Oh. My. Goodness!" was her reaction as we walked into the door. She went straight to the polish and picked out a beautiful pink. She met another Big Girl (ten years old) and together they sat and Avery asked lots of questions. The cutest thing was that the Big Girl shook her polish and Avery copied! She shook that bottle the whole time we waited.

When it was her turn she sat so still and used her best big girl manners. She loved it and every lady in the place commented on how adorable she was. Now here is the silly part.... I could barely mutter a thank you because I was so emotional. I had no idea it was possible to get teary over your daughters first manicure. Leave it to me! She just looked so grown up and it was one of those things I have always thought would be so much fun for us to do together. In my mind I pictured us girls sneaking out for the morning and get our nails done while the boys play at home. Gosh, it was a sweeter moment that I had imagined and just reminds me that its those little things in life that make the journey so wonderful.

On a lighter note, the manicurist was chewing gum while painting Avery's nails. Avery asked her what she was eating and the sweet woman offered Avery a piece. She was thrilled to see the gum was pink too! She chewed it the the whole time her nails were being painted and the second we walked out the door she asked me to throw it away!







This first was such a fun way to kick off the holiday weekend. Now on to enjoy it with our boys!

Lightning bugs and lawnmowers

We stayed up late last night and enjoyed the backyard. Avery ran for about 2 hours straight. We started with a soccer game, then it was tag, after a while we got out the bubble lawn mower, and then the darkness set in. Avery heard her first crickets of the summer. Because I crank her sound machine up while she sleeps she hadn't heard them before. She spotted a few stars, the moon, and finally a lightning bug. Now catching them was a lot harder than Trevor and I remember. There were only two in our backyard and although we caught them both it was really hard and took about an hour. Avery loved watching them glow. Although it was a late bedtime for all of us, it was a great night!