Catch Me if You Can!

So here is our "little man" cruising along. Based on what I am seeing here, it won't be much longer that he will be taking steps on his own.

Trust me, we are in NO hurry for that day to come! Once he's completely mobile, I can only imagine the trouble we will be in. Hell on wheels...

Heart Walk 2008

This year, we participated in the Heart Walk through Julie's company. We loaded the kids up, strapped them in the wagon, and walked the 3-mile walk around downtown. The weather was beautiful, and there were lots of people that got together to support the cause.

We want to get them started early so they will know the importance of giving back to the community and volunteering :) I think we plan to do it again next year!

Here is the crowd towards the beginning of the walk:

Aidan giving his best cheese:

This picture makes us laugh, because Ava said, "I want to go and see the mascot!" I mean, seriously, what 2 1/2 year old knows what a mascot is?

Proud Mama and her boy:

THE FINISH LINE - WE MADE IT!!

When I Grow Up...

Here is a typical sight most afternoons when we get home from work. Ava loves to put on Mommy's heels and click-clack around. She is actually pretty adept at walking in heels already (it must be all the walking on her tip-toes she always seems to be doing).

A girl after my own heart.

Lazy Summer Stroll

Most nights, we take the kids out for a stroll around our neighborhood in the "pimped-out" wagon Memaw and Pepaw bought for us. This thing is pretty amazing - it has cup holders for the kids, cup holders for the adults, a removable canopy, seat belts, and the seats can be configured several different ways.

On this particular night, I happened to stop and check on them right by the pond. I thought it was too precious and had to snap a few pics.

The World is a Stage...(or at least our living room is)

Ava is quite the diva. Here she is singing into her "microphone". We haven't had the heart to tell her it's just a piece from our smoothie maker! I mean, seriously, would you want to ruin this fun?

A Visit from the Girls

If it is one thing Ava loves, it's playing with big kids (thinking she is one herself, although she is fast approaching that status...). Earlier this month, my nieces - Paula and Sam - came in from Ohio for a visit.

Ava is always SO happy to see them, she practically drops everything she is doing the moment they walk in the door. At that point, we are all invisible, and Paula and Sam are the only two that exist in her little world.

We love you and miss you - come back for a visit any time!

Happy Birthday Pepaw!

Today is Pepaw's birthday :) The kids love them some Pepaw--even when he accidentally bites their little fingers when they are playing with his moustache!

Happy birthday...hope it's a great one!

A Steel Trap

Wow. For those of you that know me, I have a FREAKISHLY good memory--almost to a fault to where it borders on "know-it-all-ism". Well, it appears this is one thing Ava has inherited from her Mommy. Case in point:

1) A few days ago, Ava looked at me and said, "I saw a clown at Ryane's". I said, "Oh, you did?" Then Ava said, "Yeah, it was a jack-in-the-box. I turned the handle to make the music, and he popped out." I had to think about this for a moment...then I realized either Ryane or Lilly got one for their birthday.

By the way...that was in June or July.

We thought it was a random occurence, until this morning when exhibit B happened:

2) Today, Ava said, "I ate lunch on Memaw and Pepaw's boat." Out of curiousity I asked, "Yes you did. What did you eat?" Ava responded, "Macaroni and cheese, green beans, and a biscuit." So I then asked, "What else do you remember?" Ava said, "I had a fork, then I fed the quack-quack ducks."

She in fact ate each of those things and fed the ducks. This happened at the beginning of August.

I really feel bad for the man that marries her and gets to deal with that. Scary.

Gone Fishin'

Don't you remember the days when you pretended to do things and they totally seemed real? This is one of the things I love about being a parent--watching their imaginations go crazy! Ava likes to find a stick from the backyard, sit on the deck, and go "fishing". Every now and then, she'll say something cute like, "Look Mommy, I caught you a blue fish!" The excitement in her voice is SO priceless, and it reminds me how lucky I am to be able to see flashes of my childhood through my kids...

Peek-a-boo...I see you!

Ava and Aidan love to play together. One of their favorite things to play is peek-a-boo. This is usually how it goes down:

Ava will sprint into her room, hide behind the curtains, call for Aidan, then he crawls as fast as his chubby little legs can take him (which, by the way, is pretty fast), he crawls to her window, then she jumps out and says, "Peek-a-boo, I see you!" Then a few minutes of belly-laughing from both of them ensues. Repeat.

They really do like playing together--at least they do now. I am sure they will never believe me if I tell them in another 5 years or so. For now, we will enjoy it while it lasts!

Summer Recap #11: Kids First Trip on the Boat

This summer, the kids got to take their first trip on Memaw and Pepaw's boat. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. However, they each had cute little life jackets, and LOVED going really fast on the boat. In fact, the only time Aidan caught a few winks was when we were speeding around the lake and the boat was really loud--such a boy. Ava liked "driving the boat", feeding the ducks, and riding on her blow-up crocodile.

It really was a nice afternoon, and we are sure Memaw and Pepaw thought it was so special to have a couple of their grandchildren on the boat for the first time.

Summer Recap #10: Babysitting Lilly

This August, we babysat Lilly for the first time. Our good friends Keith and Jessica went out to dinner for their anniversary, so we watched their sweet little Lilly. Now I have done my fair share of babysitting--but never with kids of my own! For most of the evening, it was pretty relaxed, as Lilly is such an easy baby. However, when feeding time came, it was VERY chaotic! I found myself plopped in between Lilly and Aidan and basically going back and forth to feed them both.

Once we got through dinner, the kids played the rest of the night. I remember at one point thinking, "This is only 3 kids--not even half of John and Kate Plus 8!"

Lilly really was a joy, and we'd be happy to do it again!

Aidan and Lilly (funny how she is 3 months older, though Aidan is larger...):

Lilly going "Wee!", and Aidan giving her the "hey woman! That's my airplane!" look: