To Grandma' s House We Go...

We had a great road trip to Grandma's house!!! We stopped for the traditional road trip Reese's Pieces, and Carl's Jr. Milkshakes! (Which are the stinkin best in the world, by the way.) Avery slept, Reilly watched a movie, and Daddy & I listened to the iPod all the way there! (Well, I listened while awake, while sleepy Joey listened while unconscious.) Grandma was so happy to see us! Actually, it was more like she was ecstatic to see the kids, and we were just the ones who drove them. ;) We had a great time driving the go-cart, eating good food, and visiting. Thanks for the Daddy Sam's and Rice Krispie Treats, Grandma!!

The Best

I truly believe that my Reilly Dean is the sweetest big brother God ever made. (Or at the very least, the sweetest one I've ever seen!) Here are a couple of things he said today...

(As soon as we hear Avery wake up from her naps, Reilly rushes in to see her. Today, like most, this is what he said...) "GOOD MORNING, baby girl!!! How are you this morning, Sweetheart?!!!"

"Mommy, can I please feed Avery her cereal?? I just love her so much. Oh, and you can go do your chores while I feed her."



"Mommy, could you help me draw a castle? I'd like to draw one for Avery, since she is my princess. A purple one, because she likes purple."



He has NEVER shown even an ounce of jealousy over her, or the attention he now has to share. Never. Not even once. Only sweetness, and understanding when she gets a little too aggressive and yanks on his face while she is loving on him. If she needs something, he is on his way to get it before I can even ask. When she is hurt, he cries, and is fiercely protective. There is just no explaining it.... other than to say that there is no one else in the world like my precious Reilly Dean.

Sunshine

How could anyone have a bad day when they have this to wake up to every morning??? She's my own personal ray of sunshine. Always smiling, and always happy to see me!

Water Babies

I checked Reilly the other day for gills...



Avery is hilarious with all this kicking already!


Yesterday, we got in a little splash time before the monsoon hit. :)

So glad the kids love being in the water as much as we do!!!

Wait... This Can't Be Right.

Joey and Avery were playing "catch" together the other day, and she did this maybe 8 out of 10 times. Awesome!

While Daddy is Away...

Bumblebee & I make PIZZA!!! It's a little tradition we've started when Joey goes out of town for work.



Happy pizzas taste better.



The finished product





*** We also highly recommend "breakfast for dinner"... which I stole from my Momma.) ;) Reilly loves to help me make these 2 dinners and the cleanup is quick and painless for both, which only adds to its appeal for me. Also, it makes Joey quite jealous, which is fun! :)

First Tiny Teeth

I was finally able to capture photos of Avery's first 2 little teeth...



I'm a little bummed that the top of her head is missing in these, but it is quite difficult to keep her from bouncing around while she's giggling!!





**** On a side-note- can you SEE little strawberry's RED hair and eyebrows??? Wow. That is adorable in a big way.



Another first... the sippy-cup makes it's debut. (Since Avery refuses bottles of all shapes and sizes, her doctor said we should give it a try... and what do ya know?) ;)

Monkey-Man

There's a NEW super-hero in town....... MONKEY-MAN !! (I'm told he is a distant cousin of Batman.)



Monkey-Man launches himself off his bed onto the bad guys. (Most of the time "bad guys" = a very surprised Daddy.)



I LOVE this stuff!!! He is the very definition of BOY! (If you don't have one, I would have to recommend getting yourself one!)


After all that mayhem, Monkey-Man decided it was time for snuggles...



He had us rolling with laughter, and that is just the way we like it!

Avery is 8 Months Old !!

Seriously... didn't I JUST take her 7 month pictures???!!! This sweet girl is now weighing in at 19 pounds 9 ounces and is 28 1/4 inches long! And incidentally, I don't think it is one bit fair that she seems to be growing even FASTER than Reilly did. That is just not right.



Her favorite thing to say is "da da da da da". As you can probably guess, Joey gloats about that. :)



Her favorite toy is a Hop-N-Pop that she stands up in and bounces. And her favorite food is sweet potatoes... she seriously puts them away.



She sits up like a pro, and is trying her hardest to move herself across the floor.



She loves to giggle at her big brother, and always tries to chew and suck on his face. We're guessing those are her kisses.



Avery is the sweetest, most content little baby girl ever!! However, I am going to have to rig something to keep her from crawling and walking before I'm ready for that. (Since she seems ready NOW!)

Indoor Fun

Since being outdoors lately is like visiting the surface of the sun, Reilly & I decided to have some indoor fun. I took him to one of those indoor bounce house places, and let him loose. Avery & I enjoyed watching him practically vibrate, and we thoroughly enjoyed being able to do so in air-conditioned comfort. ;)











Avery had fun too!! I held onto her hands while she "walked" around the toddler area. I noticed she just kept staring at this HUGE Elmo head, so I carried her over to it. When we got close, she just started smacking his enormous eyeballs and CRACKED UP!! Wish I could have snapped some pictures of that!





I had so much fun watching Reilly, and watching AVERY watch Reilly. No one makes her laugh more than that silly boy does.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub..... 2 Babies in a Tub

I just love these!

"Where Everybody Knows Your Name..."

Okay... I HATE fast food. Really. The only 2 places on my good list are Chick-fil-A and of course the fabulous Firehouse Subs. I could eat there every day... and sometimes have. ;) I love that we can walk in, and they look excited to see us and say "the usual?" and then get our whole order exactly right without us having to say a word. FABULOUS. Now, I just have to get them to yell "PATTY!!!" when I walk in the door, like Norm on Cheers.



I recommend the "Club On A Sub" = PERFECTION.



Reilly and Mimi both prefer the BBQ Brisket





Avery is still making up her mind...



If you haven't partaken of the epitome of sandwich yet, I highly recommend it. It is so choice.

Bathing Beauty

Avery has discovered how truly delightful it is to take a nice dip in the pool...







with a little help from Nana...



My husband has never looked more handsome to me...