Silly Kids

I was folding clothes on my bed and the kids were "helping." :) I think they're starting to like each other.

Recap

6 months

Yesterday marked my baby girl's half birthday and I can hardly believe it. Of course it also means that my sweet little boy is closing in on his 3rd birthday and that's equally as frightening. She's such a lover, my baby girl. So happy these days, as content as can be. Loves her big brother who can make her smile like no one else.

Top tooth still hasn't come in... we're waiting patiently. She's eating... yes, EATING and this girl is a chow hound. After the first few unsure bites of veggies I think she suddenly realized it was FOOD! So the last few days she has been finishing a 2 oz container of veggies and a tablespoon of rice cereal for both lunch and dinner (with no preference to type... she downed a container of green beans in 5 minutes flat!) Still not rolling back to tummy but I think she's just being lazy... she could do it if she tried. Not sure of her weight... 6 month checkup is next week. But look at those rolly polly thighs and arms... I'm sure she's healthy. Hand-eye coordination is developing as she's started to see things and reach/grasp for them. Of course Brendan thinks this is great so he puts things out for her to reach for (knowing she can't reach the things he doesn't want her to!) Fun times...

Feeding Frenzy

The world of solid food has finally begun. So far, squash is a favorite, peas are OK, green beans get the "yucky" face and rice cereal is a little bland (I get this all from the looks on her face...) Now if only I could get her to stop doing that silly spitting noise while she's eating... a shower of rice cereal is the last thing mommy wants in the morning...

Family Biking

Let me preface this story with the story of my wonderful Mother's Day gift. Joe drove up in the driveway late one evening with a surprise in the back of his truck. He had picked out a bike, something I had long been wanting, and held on to hope that he had picked the right one. It has been YEARS since I've owned a bike and longer than I can even remember that I owned one that was actually MINE (not handed down.) So it was no surprise that I grabbed my shoes and sweatshirt and ran like a kid out to the truck. I was on that bike and down the road before Joe could even say hello. Happy Mother's Day to me! I was thrilled. But we were still incomplete for our dream of family biking. The bike trailer came soon after. So Memorial Day marked our very first family bike outing. Needless to say, I felt like I should have been pulling more weight (ha ha.) But Joe insisted that it really wasn't all that bad (Aubrey was strapped into her carseat and strapped into the trailer!) After an hour long ride down the beautiful canal, I was giddy with excitement and decided this had to be the best Mother's Day gift ever!

Visiting Visitors

When we moved to Bend we sadly left behind many of our very close friends. And after being here almost a year, we have been so looking forward to the day when the Falkner family would come to visit. Sarah, James, and their twin 3-year-old boys Matthew and Ethan made the trip from Beaverton to Bend for a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

We started Saturday with a walk down the canal in the cool morning sun (no one was wearing sun screen and we all got a little pink.) Then Sarah and I got some much needed girls time out while the kids and daddies all took naps. After some shopping, pedicures, and a stop for coffee, we returned home and took the kids up to the pool for some early evening swimming. Back to the house for barbecued chicken and once the kids were in bed, it was margarita time for the adults! Sunday we had a beautiful lunch at the river and then sadly said goodbye to our wonderful friends.

It's times like these that leave such bittersweet feelings. I love my new home. I never want to leave. But oh how I miss my very best friends...

On The Road

Thursday May 7th, 2009 we packed up the van and took our first long roadtrip with the kids. Not being in a big hurry, we fed everyone and left at a leisurely time of about 9:30 Thursday morning. Not an hour into the drive and Joe had the DVD player out for Brendan (my strategy would have been to save it till we ran out of other options but I was the driver and NOT the entertainer...) And after 8 1/2 hours on the road including 3 stops to feed Aubrey and let Brendan go potty, a stop for lunch, a stop for gas, and an abrupt stop on the side of the highway in response to the panicked "mommy, I have to go potty now!" we arrived safe and sound in Grass Valley, California. My mom and stepdad were ecstatic to have us there.

Friday was uneventful besides my much needed haircut and my boys' secretive search for the perfect Mother's Day card. Saturday began with Brendan's gardening apprenticeship as he assisted Nonna in planting her beautiful potted flowers. Then we were off to watch Shawna (my 11-year-old niece)'s softball team nearly win their Saturday game (they lost by only ONE point!) And after much needed naps that afternoon, we headed to the family ranch for my grandparents' big 50th anniversary party.

The weather made for the most beautiful backdrop to a sea of people wearing all white. The food was wonderful and we all had a great time. Such a blessing to be able to see my entire family at once. My brother and sister-in-law with their baby, my sister and brother-in-law (to be) with their kids... my aunts and uncles and cousins... it was truly an amazing night.

We rounded out the weekend back at the ranch on Sunday for a Mother's Day picnic. What a beautiful and perfect way to honor the moms in our family. Aubrey was worn out from being passed around and eventually fell asleep on a blanket in the shade, but Brendan was FULL of energy and used every last bit of it running around! Then Monday, much to our dismay, we made the 8 1/2 hour ride back home. It was a wonderful visit and some much needed family time but it leaves me missing them all so much already... Sometimes it's just so hard being so far away.

Twinkle Twinkle

This was during the last leg of our 8 hour car ride home from Grass Valley, California. He was SUCH a good boy the entire way. Look carefully at the book... :)

Make Some Noise

Our sweet baby girl has leared to use that tiny mouth to make very big noises. And it thrills her to no end! So I had to capture it on video because you just can't help but smile. And yes, those noises ARE coming from her mouth.