Weekend in Springfield

The weekend before last (Aug. 20-22) we spent in Springfield with my sister and brother in law. Cory wanted to take Andrew fishing and I wanted to spend some quality time with my sis. It was such a fun weekend full of lots of great restaurants, walks around the neighborhood, parks and even a little visit with my grandparents.

We put Andrew down for an early nap on Friday and as soon as he woke up we left for Springfield. We got down there just in time to feed Ava and then head to dinner. (It's much crazier trying to travel when you have to plan around a toddlers naps and a newborns eating schedule!) We went to a great little pizza place in Eugene and then over to Prince Pucklers for some local ice cream. As Andrew would say, "Delicious!" The next day the boys went fishing while Kayla and I went to an outdoor shopping area (Oak Way) and Starbucks (of course!). I was told, by Nate, that Andrew enjoyed the whole fishing process for about an hour. He thought he was the expert on fishing and wanted to do everything by himself. He didn't catch anything but Nate caught 2 fish and Andrew actually got to touch one. After about an hour the guys put on a movie for Andrew while they floated the river. We met back at the house for a quick lunch, put Andrew down for a nap and hung around. Kayla and I went on a nice walk around her neighborhood and saw some really beautiful houses that back to the river. That night we tried another local restaurant, had tons of fun at the park and got Dairy Queen :) Sunday we spent the morning at Alton Baker Park. Andrew had tons of fun running around, meeting other kids at the park, and looking at all of the ducks in the pond. Before we left to head back home we stopped by my grandparents house who live about 2 minutes from Kayla & Cory. We got to spend a little time with them and they got to see the kids which was nice. We don't get to see them often. It was a fun weekend....thanks for having us Kayla & Cory!!!

Ice cream at Prince Puckler....so good!

Fishing with the boys!

Ava & Kayla hanging out at Starbucks.

Andrew had so much fun at this park!

Sisters!

I love this picture of Kayla & Andrew. He has so much fun with his auntie!

Checking out the ducks at Alton Baker Park.

This park is beautiful!

Almost 3

Andrew turns 3 one week from tomorrow. Hard to believe! I think he grew up in all of 2 days this weekend. I turned to Nate tonight and told him that it seemed like Andrew really changed this weekend...he's so grown up now. Nate worked on a lot of projects in the yard this weekend and Andrew was quite the helper. He followed daddy everywhere and even wanted to go with him to Home Depot. Normally Andrew just wants to play with his toys and isn't really interested in going to the store. Tonight I was upstairs rocking Ava in her room because she was a little fussy. Andrew came upstairs after awhile and said that he wanted to read her a book. He sat in the chair with us and looked at books for awhile and then told Ava that "this is the last one, okay Ava." I think he learned this from us, since we say this often to him before bedtime. Ava started crying so he said, "okay Ava, 1 more book, and that's it." Haha, he cracks me up! He opened his Elmo book and said, "once pon time, cookie monster and ernie..." and then mumbled some other things. Each time he turned the page he would say, "once pon time" and then talk about what was on the page. It was seriously the cutest thing. In other news, Andrew actually stood up like a big boy while going to the bathroom tonight! (Too much information, I know, but this just shows that my little boy is growing up so fast!)

Sweet Dreams

8.16.2010- 3 months (13 weeks & 3 days)

Ava had her last night in the bassinet last Monday night and her 1st night not being swaddled. She did great in the sleep sak. Andrew was in his crib at about 6 weeks, but it took me much longer to move Ava into her room. Not because she wasn't sleeping through the night, just because. The only real reason is that I wanted to take a picture of her in her bassinet before I put her in her crib. I know that sounds funny, but that's the truth....as weird as it is! For some reason I kept forgetting to bring the camera with my to bed to take a picture of her. Her 1st night in her crib (last Tuesday night) did not go well. She was up crying every few hours and finally at 6 in the morning I put her in our bed. This happened a lot last week, so I decided this weekend (while we were out of town) that I would put her back in her swaddle me. She slept okay while we were gone, but last night, back in her crib, swaddled- she did great! Hoping tonight goes smoothly as well!

Papa & Pama Great

Andrew & Pama Great playing cars

Andrew & Papa Great running around in the backyard

4 generations!

8.14.10- Ava 3 months old, Andrew 2 years & 11 months

Since Ava was being dedicated at church last weekend, my sister and grandparents came up for the weekend. It was so fun to get to spend some time with them and Andrew had a blast playing with Papa & Pama Great. My grandma sat and played cars with Andrew for the longest time and then my grandpa ran around playing soccer in the backyard with him. They don't get to see Andrew and Ava often so it was fun to see my kids interact with them.

Ava's dedication

Last Sunday Ava was dedicated at church. It was such a special day for our family. My sister & my grandparents came up from Springfield, my Grandpa & Grandma Ming, both sets of grandparents, and Thomas & Tiffany were all there. There were 8 other kids dedicated that day. I am so blessed to have a strong christian heritage and to pass it on to my children. I pray that they will always seek the Lord in all they do and that Nathan and I will be great examples of godly parents. Here are a few pictures from the day!

8.15.10- Ava 3 months old

3 months

I cannot believe that my baby is already 3 months old! We are finally getting the hang of things and Ava is starting to establish her daily routine. She sleeps through the night, and takes a few naps during the day. She has a hard time sleeping if we are out and about because she doesn't want to miss out on anything (at least that's how it seems). She wakes around 8ish (I usually have to wake her), eats, hangs out for a bit, sleeps till around 10:45 then eats, plays, sleeps from noon till 1:45, eats, play time with mommy while Andrew is napping, sleeps again until 4:45, eats, plays, sleeps until 7:45, eats and then gets alone time to play with mommy & daddy while brother sleeps and then usually falls asleep between 8:45-9:30. I wake her to eat around 10:45pm and then she sleeps through the night. She is starting to take her naps more in her crib, but we are usually out and about during the morning, so she doesn't get a good morning nap. She has really started laughing and smiling a lot and definitely recognizes faces. She is doing better about other people holding her, but she still prefers mommy when she is tired. She really has a hard time putting herself to sleep especially if she is over tired. She is starting to like daddy and really enjoys his kisses and when he talks to her. She adores Andrew and smiles every time she hears him talk. She loves her bouncy seat and loves her swing at my parents house. She loves to suck on her hands and is starting to drool...not sure if she is already starting to teethe! She likes to sit up and kicks her feet like crazy when she is laying down. She is starting to like tummy time, but only for small chunks of time. She loves to give kisses and will open her mouth really wide and search for your face. It's adorable!

8.14.10 Ava 3 months old

Boating

Last week we had really hot weather, so we took advantage of it and spent a few days on the river. Andrew had tons of fun swimming, the guys enjoyed wake boarding, my mom enjoyed cuddle time with Ava and I enjoyed relaxing with the family. I love boating, it's the perfect family activity!

I love this picture. Andrew loves to touch the water when we are going fast and if you look really close, you can see Nate wake boarding in the background.

Ava giving lots of smiles on the boat. She's such a sweet baby.

The kids love their Pama!

Ava wearing her 1st bikini!
8.12.2010- Ava 12 weeks & 6 days, Andrew 2 years & 11 months

Bike Ride

Andrew can now ride his tricycle all by himself! He has been riding it for awhile, but with assistance from us. He now no longer needs us to help push him. He rode all the way down the street to the park on Monday and back. Such a big boy! Can't believe that he's almost 3.

8.9.10- Andrew 2 years and 11 months

A New Adventure

As soon as I found out I was having a girl I loved looking at all of the baby girl accessories. I loved all the little headbands and hair clips but found that the stores didn't have a lot to offer, so I decided to start making my own. Lots of people ask me about them and Nate has been telling me for months that I need to start selling them....so, I started my hair accessories company, Bébé Boutique. I made a few and put them on etsy. www.etsy.com/shop/bebeboutique. Hopefully I'll sell a few! I love doing it and hopefully other people will find that they are unique and love them too! Here's the 1st 2 headbands I'm selling:

Giggles

Last night Ava was in a very giggly mood. She laughed every time I kissed her. It was so cute. She has been laughing for awhile now, but laughs more and more every day. She loves to smile but has really started smiling more every time she sees me...it's just too cute!

8.3.10- 2 months (11 weeks & 3 days)

Wedding Weekend

This weekend was Thomas & Tiffany's wedding (my sister-in-law & now brother-in-law). Saturday night we had a dinner at the Bailey's house along with all of the wedding party and out of town guests. Andrew had so much fun at Pama & Papa's house and loved playing with his cousins Elizabeth, Brody & Cade.

He LOVES this tractor.

My sweet little girl. 11 weeks & 1 day old

Andrew and Elizabeth. They have so much fun together!

Sunday was the wedding in Camas, Wa at the Fairgate Inn. The place was absolutely beautiful! Ava and I spent the afternoon getting ready with the girls at the Bailey's house. Nate met us at the wedding location so Andrew could get a little bit of a nap (unfortunately he didn't take a good nap that day). I quickly got all of us ready and he looked absolutely adorable in his tux and Ava was the cutest thing in her little dress (it matched the flower girl dress). Andrew and his cousin Elizabeth ran around the place while we waited for pictures. They completely feed off each other...when one screams, the other screams. Oh my, it took a lot of work from us moms (thanks Melissa for all your help) for us to somewhat control these kids. They were just so excited to spend the day together! When the wedding started Andrew was supposed to carry the rings down the aisle which were attached to some books. He, of course, did not want to carry the books. He wanted to carry the flowers like Elizabeth, the flower girl. This was quite the battle. Luckily Papa was able to convince him to carry the books (thank you Bud!) and he did a great job walking down the aisle and standing next to me. He held my hand and Elizabeth's for about half of the ceremony until he decided to go sit with Daddy. After the wedding he ran around the place and danced with all of the kids. He had so much fun and did not want to leave. It was getting late (probably 8:30...past his bedtime!) so my parents took him back to their house for a sleepover. He had a rough time sleeping - poor thing has a really hard time being separated from us lately.

Ava did a great job the whole day. She really is a sweet baby and didn't fuss all day. I think that's because she was being held all day....she loves being held :)

Nate did a reading during the wedding and said some really sweet things about his sister.

Tiffany looked beautiful. I was so honored to be a part of their wedding and Nathan and I are excited to welcome Thomas into the family. Thank you Thomas and Tiffany for letting us be apart of your wedding day. We wish you a lifetime of happiness....we love you!

Andrew & Elizabeth watching a movie on the iphone while waiting for pictures.

Ava 11 weeks & 2 days old

Carrying the books & rings down the aisle. We had to add some flowers too!

They are just too cute!

Dancing the night away!

The beautiful bride dancing with Ava.

My little family!

I wish we had more pictures from the day, but chasing a toddler and taking care of a newborn we didn't get many pictures :(

P.S. Bud & Twyla-you did a great job at hosting this wedding. Twlya, you looked beautiful....and Bud, you clean up pretty well too :)