Vacation

Instead of going away somewhere this summer, we planned to 'vacation' at my parent's house. They have a pool & room for all of us & since none of us actually get IN the ocean, it seemed like a great idea. I also wanted Ava & Drew to take swimming lessons this year, but that requires 1 adult/child, so I recruited 'Dandy' to help while 'Noni' stayed home with Pres. The kids & I went up there last Sunday, then Jeremy flew up on Wednesday. Jessica was able to be there for a few days & we got to see Casey the day we arrived. Wish they both could have stayed longer!
Swimming lessons weren't a BIG hit....Drew liked it better than Ava. But they had a great time playing outside & being with Noni & Dandy. Pres is cool as long as everyone is around! :)

Happy Father's Day

We love you, honey!
Father's Day breakfast:

Cheesy grin for dear old dad :)

Pancakes & strollers

Friday morning, Ava woke up before Drew, so she got to pick breakfast. She 'needed' pancakes! I double checked with her, because often she doesn't even eat breakfast. She said she NEEDED pancakes.

She didn't eat a bite:
Later, it was time to take their 'guys' for a stroll.

Around & around & around they went....

Presley is here, too!

Rolling around & making funny faces....
Smiling in the jumperoo....

Pres is generally happy as long as she can see Drew & Ava & gets a little attention from me.

Finger painting

Yep, I finally decided to try it. But, instead of buying real finger paints(that I figured would just get eaten & stain), I made vanilla pudding & added food coloring. It was a hit...sort of! Drew jumped right in....
....Ava was not so sure about it.....

Then Drew really got into.....

And decided to taste it...

Ava was done within 15 mins. Watching Dora & eating Dora fruit snacks was a lot more fun!

Even though Ava didn't really care for it, I'll definitely do it again. They both got a kick out of watching me make the pudding & changing the color. And Drew had a blast getting it EVERYWHERE!

That's not exactly what it's intended for...

As much as I was hoping to get out of having to have a sandbox(and after last summer's beach trip, it looked hopeful), Drew has discovered a love of sand. Last week at Noni & Dandy's, he spent hours in the sandbox they have. So, after I told Jeremy about it, we decided to get him one for home.
It arrived yesterday(2 days early...GO Little Tikes!) & I promptly put it together(it was easy!). We bought sand toys today at Target & they have been happily playing in it. We're not going to get sand for it (& move it outside) until we get back from our vacation.
I think Drew will be thrilled when he sees what it really is....Ava may not be too happy with me. Although, I picked this one because one side is for sand & the other for water. And we know Ava likes water! :) (She tells us often!). We'll see. But, until then, indoor sandbox anyone?!

More 'new-old' toys

Although Pres loves all of Ava & Drew's toys(much to Ava's chagrin!), we decided it was time to pull down some 'age-appropriate' toys from the attic. The 1st one we got out was one of Ava & Drew's favorites from about 10 mos-18 mos or so. I'm not real sure if they remember it, or got excited because it was 'new', but they are loving it! And Pres thinks it's pretty great too....when we can pull A&D away long enough for her to play with it. ;)

The other toys I got out were not as much of a success. Ava & Drew quickly began to fight over them(they are smaller toys that can be moved) & I had to put them away. Sorry, Pres! But, it gives her another excuse to play w/ the 'big kid' toys! :)

Won't be long....

Pres is starting to really get serious about crawling. *I* could probably wait a little longer...it's crazy enough how fast she moves just rolling. AND, crawling leads to pulling up...which leads to walking! Aagh! Slow down time, SLOW DOWN!!!

Carousel & Build a Bear

Our mall has recently added a very nice, *real* carousel. I had not been to see it yet, but had heard from others that it was great. So, with mom & dad here & errands that needed to be run anyways, we decided to head to the mall yesterday morning. The carousel was a BIG hit. We ended up riding it 4 times while we were there. Drew tried out a different animal(aside from horses, they have a giraffe, elephant & monkey) each time, while Ava stayed on the same horse except for the last ride. Unfortunately, it is not something I could do with them on my own yet. Even though I could stand between them to help them hold on....I would not be able to watch Pres, too. So, we may be going often when Noni & Dandy visit! :)

After the 1st 2 rides on the carousel, while we were deciding where to go next, mom & I decided it was time to "Build a Bear". The store is (strategically placed, I'm sure) right behind the carousel & it caught our eye. We had talked about it before, but kind of thought they may be too little. But, we figured we had the time, so it was worth a shot.

After running our errands & eating lunch, we headed in. The girl working there was very nice & showed us exactly what to do. After much disussion w/ the 2 year olds(!), Drew picked a leopard(who looks enough like Baby Jaguar to make him happy) & Ava picked a Monkey(her current fave). They got a little scared during the stuffing--it's kind of loud & then it was time for clothes. Ava decided Monkey did NOT need clothes, try as Noni might to change her mind. Clothes were bought for her, but they still have not been worn. Drew felt that Baby Jaguar MUST have a basketball, so I told him to pick out a basketball uniform for him to wear. Much to our chagrin, he picked a Spurs uniform. While daddy will be thrilled, those of us with him would have preferred a Mavs jersey. But, this was not a battle we wanted to fight! :) We then picked names("Baby Jaguar" of course & Milly the Monkey) & printed birth certificates.

It was a fun experience. I think they'll enjoy it when they get a little older & really understand what's going on. But, they do love their new animals.

Thanks, Noni & Dandy, for EVERYTHING. We love you!

1 1/2 weeks without daddy...

Jeremy gets home today from a long business trip(well, long for us anyways!). While we have missed him terribly, we have not been on our own the whole time. From Tuesday to Tuesday, we were with my parents. The 1st 5 days at their house, then back here on Sunday. We had a nice time swimming, going to movies & playing. The kids always have a blast with Noni & Dandy & this time was no exception. The hardest part was them leaving yesterday. I think Ava & Drew had decided that we would just be living together now! ;) Fortunately, we'll be back soon for our 'vacation'.

Here are a few pictures of our time together. I've got more on my phone & some video that I may try to add(but, probably won't get around to!).

Pres is 8 mos

Another month..... Pres is certainly growing liek a weed. I'm not sure how much she weighs, but I'm guessing it's about 22 or 23 lbs. She's already in 12-18 mos clothes! Can't wait till her 9 mos appt.
Presley is sitting up very well on her own & starting to think about crawling. She'll get up on her hands & knees, & rock a little. She's becoming very interested about Ava & Drew's toys. Which does not always make them happy..... but, hopefully they'll get used to it soon.