Saturday, July 30, 2011

Fun with your besties...

I'm fortunate to have two of my closest friends from college live in town with me. One of them, Julie, has been my friend since we were in 6th grade. We came to Berry together and even lived together our freshman year. Ginny and I did Camp WinShape growing up and met the first summer we both worked, 2001. Anyways, all three of us were friends in college and we all stuck around town. (The rest of our group Laura, April, and Aubrey are scattered...thankfully we all try and stay in touch.) Anyways, Ginn, Jules, and I were all pregnant together with our first borns. Briggs and Emma are 6 months older than AG. I'm grateful that our kids are forming life long friendships with each other and like to play together. Here is some fun they've had together recently...Emma's birthday party and a water play date over here. 




 AG gave Emma a Dumbo from Disney World. Dumbo is her favorite movie and it was fitting since her party was Emma's Favorite Things.


 So, sweet. 




 The best place to eat a popsicle is in your water table...
Avi-Kate I'm excited that in a few short months you will have your own Briggs and Emma! Yes, this go around I was pregnant first and Ginny and Jules are due together in January! Can't wait to meet the two newest additions to the group this winter and see them play together in the coming years. Thank the Lord for beautiful friendships that run deep. Grateful for Jules and Ginn and that we get to raise our kids together.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Avi-Kate in July...

One month old, already?!

Shannon delivered both of our redheads.

I didn't get to take your one month picture in the rocking chair but I did snap a one month picture in your swim suit! 

Ready to lounge at the pool with Aunt Meg.

Lounging with Aunt Caro at the pool.

Not sure about something?!? I find it appropriate that this picture was taken in Caro's arms...I feel like I've seen that face before from her! :)

Havin' fun with Aunt Mis.

Sweet, sweet girl! 

You are so beautiful!


Hard to believe in another week you will be two months old sweet girl. This month has flown by. You are growing like a weed! You are quite the piglet. At one month you were 10 and a half pounds and 22 inches long. (Bigger than your brother was at his one month appointment!) You love to eat but you are a tortoise when it comes to nursing! Most feedings it takes you over an hour to nurse. Making for a very tired mommy. Sometimes it's just easier to pump and give you a bottle. You slept 'thru the night' for the first time two days before your one month check up...a nice 6 hour stretch. Since then you have bumped it up to 7 hours at the beach, 8 hours last week, and this week you've started doing 9 hour stretches. You sleep great at night! During the day it can be hard for you to nap...but that might also have to do with your big brother and his zest for life! Last week you graduated to a size two diaper and you are already starting to wear 3-6 month/6 month clothes. You started smiling at the beach. That Saturday morning you were all smiles while snuggling in bed with Daddy. You are a wonderful baby, Avi-Kate, and we are enjoying every minute with you!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

AG's big boy room...

...it dawned on me that I, in my pregnant state these last few months, forgot to post what we did to AG's room this spring. (Sigh) Anyways, it still needs a few things done to it but overall it looks pretty good. We painted it grey and AG picked a shade known as 'Mickey's Shadow'...how appropriate. He wanted to help and so we suited him up in an old onesie and let him go to town. Later, Andy finished it all by himself. He then built, painted and installed hanging shelves for the wall along with two new bookcases. I've decided that there are very few things in this world that my husband can not do. He's quite talented. I still need to do something on the windows, get a bunch of prints framed and hung, and decide what to do with the shelf over AG's bed. Oh, and find a rug. Now if I could get Avi-Kate's room finished...






Wordless Wednesday Tickle Monster Edition...



Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A little sibling love...

A few snapshots of AG relishing his role as big brother from the last three weeks...

Right before the beach...Avi-Kate at one month.

Taking a break from being a Braves player to relax with his sister at the beach.

Home from the beach AG wanted to feed his sister a bottle.

Quite determined that she was going to take it all...which he shouldn't because she is such a piglet!

Tummy time together.

Entertaining Avi-Kate in her room on her (future) big girl bed while I put up her laundry.

She was smiling and making all sorts of noises for him. She loves him already...

My sweet babies. How I love them so!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Just like Daddy...

...the finer points of shaving...a lesson.
 Apply shaving cream.

 Find a foam letter to use a razor. (In this case the letter 'L' was used!)

Swipe and rinse. Swipe and Rinse. 

Showing us how it's done...

Swipe and Rinse. Swipe and Rinse.

Have your Daddy do the spots you missed.

This lesson occurred on Sunday, July 17th. After the paci incident!

How to quit your paci...

AG's last picture with his paci...two days before it left us for good.
(And yes, that would be AG playing games on Andy's phone in our bed at the beach house. It's crazy how well he operates that phone already.)

We returned from the beach on Saturday the 16th. It was a long day...when is driving with two small children not tiring not to mention that one of them is only weeks old. Anyways, the next day we stayed home from church to catch up on sleep and regroup. That afternoon Andy was in the living room watching the Women's World Cup, AG was watching soccer and running around, and I was nursing the piglet AKA Avi-Kate. (More on her nursing habits in another post.) Well, I was nursing on our bed and at one point AG came in and was entertaining himself in our bathroom. I then heard the toilet flush and he came running out of the bathroom telling me, "bye, bye paci! Flush it." I yelled for Andy and we got the whole story. AG, being the critical thinker that he is, decided to try his own science experiment! Yep, he flushed it. Andy was like well this could be good and bad. Good being that we now have a legitimate excuse why AG can't have it anymore...one that he, being the thinker that he is, can recall and learn from. Bad because he could mess up the toilet/plumbing!

Well, it's been over a week and the paci is still gone, the toilet still flushes, and AG gets quite animated when retelling the story of his paci to anyone that asks. There are even hand motions as he shows how the water swirls around in the bowl! 

Andy and I laugh because AG didn't realize what he was doing would be permanent. And it made it quite easy for us! Honestly, it was probably best because AG is very literal and is great at recalling past experiences or things that have been said. So, anytime he inquires about it we ask him what happened to it and that's all we have to say. The first few nights were a little rough and the morning after it happened I found him with a spoon in the other bathroom trying to find it!

Thankfully, he has no interest in Avi-Kate's pacis. (When we bought her pacis we made sure that we got pink and purple ones since AG's were blue and green. ) So we are down to one child with a paci, again. My three goals for AG this year were to drop the paci, move to a big boy bed, and potty train before preschool. So far, he's been in a big boy bed since March, paci free for a week, and peeing/pooping on the potty when he wants. Now all we need to do is make the last one permanent. I've kind of been waiting till after he adjusted to the new baby and so I can get adjusted to life with two. Two out of three before the end of July ain't bad if I do say so myself. :)

Friday, July 22, 2011

Dreaming of...

...crisp cold weather. Leaves changing and falling. Holidays. Holiday baking. Scarves. Hot drinks on a cold afternoon. Snuggling up under a blanket with AG to watch a movie. Decorating the house for fall and then Christmas. Cutting down a Christmas tree. College football and bowl games. And snow...





...lots and lots of snow. I love being home when it snows. I love not having to go anywhere or do anything. I love how quiet and still things are...the serenity and peacefulness soothes my soul. Every year around this time I begin to eagerly anticipate the changing of the seasons and all that the coming months have to offer. Here's hoping we get some more snow this year...I can't wait for fall to get here...

Ps- AG is dreaming of a White Christmas or at least a Charlie Brown Christmas as he is currently watching it...heaven help me he just asked for a Christmas tree to decorate. :)