Tuesday, August 27, 2013.  First day riding the bus.  Mrs. Laura came to the bus stop to cheer you on, and she snapped a picture for me.  So thankful for our great neighbors.

Mondays

I am usually off work on Mondays.  In the summertime, Lila stays home with me, and we do whatever she wants to do, no matter how big (within reason) or small.  Here's a little recap of our summer Mondays.

There was a lot of pool time.

We rode the "subway" (light rail) downtown, and had lunch with Natalie at Moonshine.

Daddy joined us for a trip to the Capitol...Lila's favorite part:  the stairs

More swimming

And for our Grand Finale...

Bungee Trampoline at the mall.  Lila has been waiting for two years to be heavy enough to do it, and she had a blast, then...

lunch with Natalie, and then...

ROLLER SKATING!!!!

I am not sure which one of us had a better time.  Brought back memories of skating on the driveway in my Rainbow Brite skates with my Tiffany cassette playing. 

 We had a blast, and can't wait to go back.  Perfect way to end our summer Mondays.

18 months old

Audrey
31 inches
20 lbs, 9 oz

You are smart, fearless, tough, and can be just plain mean.  You love to be outside, and can climb like a monkey.  There is not a slide out there too tall for you, and you love to play "ball".

 Another new love in your life...Elmo!  You love Sesame Street and playing Elmo games on the computer.  You are a very musical little girl and we love it when you try to sing.  You are still a great eater and you get so excited about food that you dance (actually you dance when you get excited about anything).

Speaking of food...you still eat anything, and you want to eat all the time!  I don't know where it goes.  Favorites: raisins, strawberries and avocados

You are still very routined.  When you get up in the morning you have to go straight from your bed to the high chair, and must watch Sesame Street.  When we get home in the evening, you must have dinner by 6:00, then you will go straight outside to play.  By 6:30 pm,  you are ready for bed.  Before bed, we sit on the floor and read.  You will tell me "book. Sit", and then get in my lap.  Your favorite books right now are Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. You are very territorial, which doesn't work very well when you have a twin sister.  You are a little bit of a biter, and turn bright red when you are mad.  You also don't really seem to care if we try to discipline you.  You look so unassuming with that pale skin and blonde ringlet curls, but I am watching you close.

Landry
32 inches
22 lbs, 10 oz

You have become such a sweet heart, and a Momma's girl.  You have got to be one of the loviest, huggiest little girls out there, and are always happy. You have such a tender heart, and get your feelings hurt very easily.  If anyone is upset, you always put your toy down and go try to hug them.  However, not everyone, mainly Audrey, likes to be hugged all the time.  If she is throwing a fit, you go over and try to hug her, and that usually enrages her even more.

 You already keep track of people.  For example, if we are all in one place, and Daddy leaves, you will look around and say "Daddy go?", or "er Daddy at?"  You are quite the little water bug in the pool.  You have figured those floaties out, and you will just float around on your back and look so relaxed.  You tend to be a little cautious with new situations, and it takes you a while to warm up to people. You will not sit for me to read you a book, but if you have a toy with buttons on it, you will sit and tinker with it all day until you get it figured out.  The other weekend at Aunt Jana's, Audrey and Jana were doing Wii Just Dance, and you were trying to figure out the controller.  You have already mastered eating with utensils, and love to write.

Talking on the phone and doing Face Time are also favorite activities.  Anytime you hear the phone ring, you say "hello".  The other weekend we were in church at Saint Mary's, and they always ring bells during the blessing of bread and wine.  They rung the bells, and you hollered "hello".

Independence Day 2013

As always, our holiday started with a little decorating (any excuse to have a craft project).  I had, what I consider to be, a really great idea, and let the girls decorate t-shirts with a cookie cutter dipped in paint.  They loved it.  Turned out really cute and with minimal mess.  Of course, we also blinged out the wagon and bike in preparation for the big parade.

On the night of July 3rd, our neighborhood always has a fireworks show

On the 4th, our fantastic friends/neighbors organize a super duper family party complete with games, parade, food, and water slide.  This year was extra special because we got to borrow a shaved ice trailer for 3 days...free shaved ice (any flavor you wanted, whenever you wanted) for 3 days!  Does it get any better?

June 2013

We had such a busy, fun June.
It started off with a visit from cousin Gracie, all the way from Colorado...and, of course, Scott, Christy, Ginger and Ronnie also.

The next weekend, we went to Hallettsville and finally made it to Splashway (thanks to help from ZoZo, Nana and Jeanette).  I had never been there before and was very impressed and the girls had a blast.

The girls helped Papa G with the feeding

 The next week brought a visit from some special guests...Aunt Carmen and Aunt Sonya (and Brian, too!)

Aunt Jana, Alex, Abbi and Aiden stayed here all week so we had lots of fun with the cousins

Then we all packed up and headed to Lubbock for Anthony and Amanda's wedding.  The kids handled the trip like ROCKSTARS!  There was more time with cousins, more fun, many late nights, and a good old fashioned dust storm.  The kids had a blast at the wedding and the adults had a pretty good time, too!

Lila was a flower girl, and she was excited because she got to throw rose petals "like they do on TV"

While we were in Lubbock, we had a chance to visit with the Matthews for a few hours.  It is hard to believe that it had been almost 5 years since we had last seen them (4 children have been born in that time).  It's funny how so much has changed, and yet so much is still the same.  Old friends really are the best friends!

Pre-K Graduation

Lila's Pre-K graduation was on Friday, May 24th.

We started the day off with lunch at Subway, followed by mani/pedis with Charli and Michelle

Lila does not like anyone clipping her fingernails or toenails, so this was actually a little necessary.  She was excited to see Charli there, but when she realized that they were going to give her an actual pedicure, she told the lady, "I'm scared".

By the time we got home, it was time for a quick wardrobe change and off to the graduation ceremony.

Nana, Papa, Oomma, Oompa, Natalie and Jonathan, and Ms. Heidi all came to support our Lila Bug.

It was an over-the-top Pre-K graduation, complete with song and dance, caps and gowns, and it was fantastic!  The Pre-K teachers put in a lot of time planning and prepping, rehearsing and fundraising to be able to give the kids this spectacular event.  They are a fantastic group of ladies, and are so dedicated to not only giving these kids the highest quality education, but also to giving them a support system and great memories.  Lila's teacher told me that she starts planning at the beginning of school what kind of theme the graduation will be, so she can start putting together music, decorations, and clothing accessories because she has so much fun doing it.  I got emotional listening to the teachers talk about how hard it is for them to see the kids go after they have watched them grow up since they were babies.

 

After the ceremony, they had a reception and cakes with all the kids pictures on them

I cannot say enough good things about the teachers, owners, and staff at this school...we feel very blessed to have them in our childrens' lives.  Each and every one of them love their job and it shows.   When we first started there, all I cared about was that Lila was happy and felt loved there, just the way I did at Playtime Nursery and at Nonnie's all those years ago.  Mission Accomplished!   I have gained many valuable friends along the way, and learned so much from all the staff there (how to cure diaper rash, and how to make the perfect green beans.)