Memorial Day Cuteness

Our Memorial Day was very laid back. Matt had to work all day so we really didn't do anything very special. In fact it was just like most other Mondays with laundry and grocery store. When Matt got home we did go over to some friend's house and enjoy a great cookout. It was a blast. Enjoyed just getting to hang out with some friends. It was so hot outside even at 5 in the afternoon!!! The kids had a great time in the sprinklers. I really wanted to jump in myself! We all stuffed ourselves on some wonderful food. I think it was the perfect start to summer!!!

Laid Back Weekend

We had the most wonderful laid back weekend. Nothing on the calendar and just lots of family time. Friday night we spent the evening with the awesome Johnson family!! Had a great time just hanging out and being with friends. It had been 5 whole days since Ben and Micah had been together so they were about to go through some withdrawals! I love friends that you can just hang out with and there be no pressure. Just fun time together!

Saturday was the first time in months we didn't have to get up early or have somewhere to go! We did some yard work. Matt spent a couple of hours trimming back our wisteria. It was out of control. It was literally taking over the front of the house to where I was unsure if we would ever have visitors. It looks so much better and more welcoming now! I cleaned out the van with the help of some little helpers. Why do kids love playing in cars so much? I was able to do some shopping on Saturday and Matt played disc golf with friends. Saturday evening we just enjoyed some time at home. Uncle Andrew came over and we just hung out.

Sunday was church which is always wonderful. Once again full of conviction in the book of Jude. Didn't get a picture of the kids before church but they were cute I promise!! : )

Sunday afternoon was full of naps which is the best! Then we headed over to the pool for some pool time. We are blessed to have a neighborhood pool about 5 minutes away. With temps already well into the 90's I know we will be using it alot this summer! The kids had a blast. Matt and I commented on how much fun it was and what a great way it was to end the weekend.

Not Picasso!!!

I am really not an artsy person at all. Really don't have any art talents at all!! So when I did the canvas painting a few months back I was not really expecting much. It turned out better than I thought I I guess that inspired me. I decided I was going to do a "series" of paintings to hang on a blank wall by the exit to the garage. The wall has always needed something on it and you can't see it unless you are going that way so it seemed like this was the perfect fit. I went with colors that match my kitchen. And this is how it turned out. Don't look too close. They are not that great looking but I do like having them there. I think I am going to retire from painting now!!

And because you don't come to the blog to see my bad artwork, here are a few pictures of the kids today. We met some friends at Kidventure. Everyone had a blast!!

Let Summer Begin

One of my favorite things about summertime is that we get to have playdates all the time!! There is nothing better than some playtime for the kids and visiting time for mommies. I love being able to catch up with friends while the kids have fun. Today was just the start of all the fun. Our neighbors little gal turned 2 a couple of weeks ago and we hadn't gotten to celebrate so today we all got to go to the park and have a little party for her. It was really warm but the kids had a blast. I didn't get many pictures of Ben because he was too busy playing!

Kate loved the cupcakes!
Do not look at how dirty she is or how messy her hair is! I cannot keep the girl clean or with some decent looking hair.

Kate and Sweet Addy! They are going to be great friends. Addy's big brother is one of Ben's best buddies so we spend alot of time playing together. We are so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors that have the same values that we do!

It was so much fun and let me remember why I like summer so much.

Tuesday

It has been a long day so I don't have a very clever title today. Ben had an eye check up this morning. After much prayer and debate we decided to switch back to the awesome Dr. Jennifer here in town. We have been going to Birmingham every few months for the past 3 years to see a specialist but we just felt like it was time to switch. Today's visit went awesome! We have a 2 year plan of what we are going to be doing for his eyes. I am very excited about the possibilities. Part of the plan involves next year when he starts kindergarten and starts reading. So crazy to think about him in kindergarten learning to read!!! He is growing up so fast!

Tonight we went to Rosies to celebrate the end of the residency year for the residents that Matt works with. It was fun as always. I got some funny pictures of the kids...

I promise to be back with something more insightful soon!!

Love Me Some Weekend

I know I say it every week but I just love the weekends! And I love it when we have a pretty laid back weekend. This one was so wonderful. Friday night we had no plans and we just enjoyed hanging out at home. So nice!!!!

Saturday morning Ben had his last soccer game. Aren't you glad I won't be boring you with more soccer pictures after today!!! He was getting really tired of playing about halfway through the game. He just wasn't into it. It has been a long season for a 4 year old!!
Kate had fun as always and will miss playing at the games!

Saturday afternoon we went swimming. It was so hot outside but it was freezing in the pool!!! Guess it will be a few more weeks before we can enjoy the water without freezing to death!! Saturday night we went out to Bridge Street to eat dinner with Matt's family. We were celebrating his mom's retirement!!! She retired at the first of the month but it was in the middle of all the tornado stuff so we didn't get to celebrate then. We enjoyed eating and walking around. It was the perfect night out. Ben is a little obsessed with maps so he loved looking at the maps.

And Kate just looked cute!

Sunday we enjoyed a great day at church and lunch out with friends. I thought the kiddos looked so cute all dressed up in their matching red!

Now it the official start to our summer with no school. I have survived so far until 11:45! We are actually doing great and enjoying some time at home getting some things done!164525

Ben's Last Day of School

I guess you can officially call it summer now. Ben had his last day of school today. His class had a party to celebrate. They all seemed to have a great time! It has been a great first year of preschool for Ben. It has been amazing to see how much he has grown and matured! He has enjoyed being challenged this year and learning so many new things. He just loved his teacher Mrs. Teague and all of his buddies in his class. He sure is going to miss them.
To celebrate the end of school we went and got ice cream with best bud Micah!

Let the summer fun begin!!

Silly Face

Before Kate was born we would ask Ben what he was going to do to make Kate smile at him when she was born. He would always make this same funny face. So the very first time he got to meet her when we brought her home for the NICU the first thing he did was make this silly face. It cracked us up. He hasn't made that face in over a year. A few weeks ago out of no where Kate made the exact same face!! It cracked us up. There is no way she should remember that but it is too funny that she does the same thing. Now we can say "Kate do your silly face" and this is what she will do!!
We have a couple of crazy kids!!

Kate's Last Day of School

Today was little Miss Kate's last day of school for the year. She has had an amazing year in school. I was looking back at her pictures from the first day. She was such a little thing and now she looks like such a big girl. School has been awesome for Kate this year. She has matured and grown up so much. It has given her such a confidence. On school days she would pick up her lunch box and march into class. No looking back and no tears! It was so wonderful. She has just loved it and her teachers. It was a sort of sad day because after 4 years of Mother's Day Out at Whitesburg we had to say good-bye. I have taken a little one there every week since Ben was 5 months old. We are excited to be going to a new school in the fall but sure are going to miss all the wonderful teachers!!

Chipmunks

We have a bit of an obsession at our house... Yep anything chipmunk is loved! I don't know how it got started but for some reason Ben is obsessed with chipmunks. Both Chip and Dale as well as Alvin and the Chipmunks. He just loves anything related to chipmunks. He enjoys watching all the old cartoons on Youtube and playing with the stuffed animals. I admit they are cute little critters. He as gotten quite a collection here lately!
He is sweet and shares with Kate. They both sleep with chipmunks every night. Ben's favorites are Chip (did you know that Chip has the chocolate chip colored nose!) and Alvin.

Kate loves her Brittany!! Or bit-nay as she calls her!

We are a little chipmunk crazy around here!

18 Months Old

Our sweet baby girl is 18 months old today!! I cannot believe it. She is closer to being 2 than 1. That makes me a little sad. Where has the time gone? I thought I would update a little on what she is up to these days.

Miss Kate is spunky!!! She has got a personality that just keeps us laughing and guessing. I really do believe she is 18 months going on about 5 years old. I also think she thinks that she is 4. She wants to do everything that Ben does plus some!! The child has no fear and wants to try new things all the time. She is a climber. She likes to climb the stove and on the back of the couch and sit on the half wall in our living room. The girl also has an attitude to boot!! She lets you know what she likes and doesn't like. She will throw herself on the floor and kick and scream. Even with all of the spunkiness she is such a sweetheart. She loves to cuddle and really is concerned about others even at such a young age. She is babbling all the time these days. She tries to mimic everything we say. Her words are getting clearer. Right now she is really into animals and animal sounds. She loves to play with toys. Her dollhouse is a favorite right now. She loves to tuck the baby into bed and have the mama rock her. I think it is so sweet!! She also loves to stroll her baby dolls. Just recently she has begun to be interested in TV. She will sit and watch for about 10 minutes (a lifesaver when I need to get something done). Her favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She just loves Minne Mouse! She loves books!!! I really think she could read books for hours. Sometimes I will lay her down for a nap with books in her crib and she will read them for about 30 minutes before falling asleep. She still loves to play peek-a-boo and patty cake. We have recently taught her thumbs up and how to do fist bumps which she loves! She loves to play outside. If the word outside is even just mentioned she runs to the door!

She continues to grow like a weed! I am not sure exactly what she weighs but I am guessing it is a little over 24 pounds. She is wearing 18 month clothes. Her foot is finally growing!! She is up to a size 3 shoe. I know I am her mom but I think she is just gorgeous! Her hair is really lightening up these days. I bet she will be almost blonde by the end of summer. Her hair is also getting more and more curly. She has ringlets that just flow down her back that are so cute!! She is already so tan. By the end of the summer she is going to be so dark.
She continues to be a great sleeper and eater. To get herself to sleep at nights and for naps she twirls her hair around her finger. It is so cute!! She will sleep for about 12 hours at night. She is also taking about a 3 hour nap during the day. But when she is up she is going full force. There is no stopping her! She is constantly running, jumping or climbing. The girl will also eat anything. She is a bottomless pit. Very rarely will she get full! She just loves to eat!!

She continues to be a super flexible little girl. She will do whatever we need her to do. She loves to follow directions and help us. We can give her simple tasks to do like putting up her shoes or toys and she will do it so willingly. She loves to clean things and put things in order! I think she is going to be a type A personality like her mama!! She loves going to school and church. On school days she picks up her backpack and lunch box and runs to the door. There is no stranger anxiety with her. She loves going places and is great to travel with! She continues to be very attached to her paci. I don't believe we will be getting rid of that anytime soon. She has also developed a love for one of Ben's chipmunks, Brittany. She sleeps with her tucked under her arm.

We are so very blessed!!! It is so fun to see her little personality bloom and change. She is an amazing little girl and we feel so lucky to have her as part of our family!

A Weekend of Awards

Ben had a really big weekend!! It was full of all sorts of awards. It started Friday night with the annual AWANA awards at church. We are so proud of Ben for completing his first year of Cubbies. He did a great job. He has worked all year long learning verses and completing his lessons. He got his first book award along with his "Under the Appletree" award. Saturday morning we got up bright and early for a soccer game. Ben did awesome at his game this week!!! He is finally getting the concept of kicking the ball (I know basic but he is getting it) and following it through.

He had several times where he was able to break away and kick the ball towards the goal! He even had an assist on a goal.

Matt has been helping out as the "bench dad." He keeps the schedule of when kids are to rotate in and out and also keeps them under control on the bench.

Kate loves watching her brother play!

Caught a sweet brother/sister moment!

After the soccer game it was the award ceremony for soccer. They had a nice program for the kids where they were recognized and then had some fun activities.

A crazy toilet paper game!

Ben was super excited to get his soccer backpack! He can't wait to take it to Alaska!

We continue to be amazed and so proud of our little man!! He is just awesome! Saturday night we enjoyed getting together with our friends the Mobleys and Edmonds. It has been so long since we have all been able to get together. We don't get to see the Edmonds very often so it was great to catch up!!! We sure do miss them. I hate I didn't get pictures of all the kiddos. They had a blast playing together. It was so loud in our house!!

Today we had a great morning at church. Our SS teacher has been leading us through the book of Jude. It is amazing how convicting 25 little verses can be. We are excited for the start of another week. A week of endings!!