Neglect; July 2012

Getting closer to current, let's talk about July.  Oh, July.  SO many pictures from July.  I am not sure why, but the 4th has always been my favorite holiday.  I think it is sitting outside in the hot summer air watching fireworks in the night sky.  I love that feeling.  "Ooohhhing and aweing" over each blast and being surrounded by friends and family.  There is always so much going on during the 4th.  There is fireworks, cookouts, parades, parties...it is just always a blast for us and the kids.  However, to add to those festivities, we had Aevan's first birthday on July 13th.  Being that I was "in charge" of taking pictures, I have quite a few images.  So, I suppose I should stop typing and start posting pictures!

So, I don't think I mentioned it, but Wes is crawling.  Talk about milestones, how could I forget to mention this?  He started crawling at 8 months and has been on the move ever since.  Now, he is walking while holding on to things, crawling up the stairs, and just started standing without holding on to anything a couple days ago.  So, with that said, here are just some random shots of Wesley from July.

4th of July BBQ at Great Grandma's is next on the list.  We do this every year, immediately following the parade.  I have not yet taken my kids to the parade.  With Fireworks being that night (and them being up until 11:00) it just hasn't worked out yet.  I am sure as they get a little older, it will happen.  Mallory could now handle it, but not so much Wes.  One day it will all work out.  The most memorable part of the BBQ?  Aevan and Wesley.  They were both chewing on a piece of celery (wonderful teether, thank you Aunt EE for that info!) and Aevan would just crawl up and take Wesley's!  He would just sit there and stare at her and let her have it.  He is just so sweet this one.  Mallory would have screamed and taken it right back.  Hopefully this is an inclination of how wonderful he will treat a lucky girl some day :)

After the BBQ, we headed over to Marc's work to watch the fireworks.  They have a convenient overlook of the fireworks, everyone perched up on a hill.  Not to mention the food, snow cones, music, and face painting.  We had to high tail it out of there shortly after the fireworks as rain was moving in, so my camera was packed up during the show - didn't want to risk it getting wet.  However, I caught a few before the rain clouds settled in.

And now, the 1st Birthday Extravaganza for Little Miss Aevan.  Although hosted by EE & Todd, we helped out by having the party at our house.  Since they live out of town, it was easier for family to celebrate here as opposed to going there, getting hotels, etc.  So, we offered up our house and had a "pool" party theme for Aevan's 1st birthday.  It fit well, considering temperatures were exceeding 100 that day.  I can't believe that Aevan is one.  She is such a fun little girl with a personality all her own.  She is so happy all the time and has the cutest, softest little voice.  I am loving watching her grow and can't wait to see what this next year holds for her.  Like I said, I got a TON of pictures, so here is a few.  It is so hard to choose which ones to post!

And lastly, a few of my oldest from July :)  Pretty girl...

Neglect continued; June 2012

Continuing my neglect post(s), I am moving on to June.  A lot of stuff happened in June.  More then I even remember.  Two "firsts" for Wesley.  He seems HUGE now, looking back on these "firsts."  I know it is so cliche, but it is so true - your kids grow up way too fast.  It is like you blink, and their lives are passing by in the speed light.  I can't even believe that Wes is going to be 1 in just over a month.  Really?  I mean, is that even possible?  The second one is proving to grow up even quicker then the first.  Not to mention Mallory, she is a little person, a kid.  No longer a baby or toddler; a kid!

Milestones are such a hard thing as a parent because you are so proud, but at the same time so sad.  You want to hold on to that little infant that depends on you so much and needs you for everything.  But to see your child learning, growing, and progressing makes you smile ear to ear.  Now you have to focus on teaching them to be independent instead of loving them being dependent.  The grooming for the rest of their life begins and you have to step back and try to remember the "easy" time when you just did everything for them.  Wes still needs me to do almost everything for him, but I know it is just a short time away that he will be saying "Mommy, I can do this by myself."

First up:  Big Boy Bath.

Wesley had his first big boy bath in June.  Although I probably could have done it before this, I held off for some reason (don't want to let go, what?)  He loved it.  He splashed and played and smiled through the whole thing.  I wasn't comfortable putting him in the tub with Mallory yet, but since this time we have transitioned to bathing them together - which makes bath time so much easier and quicker.  Here are some shots from the first big boy bath...
**Disclaimer:  Please disregard the King Pin Bill Murray hair.  That is to be addressed later in this post.**

Next up, CEDAR POINT!!!!  I can't even to begin to describe how awesome this little day trip was.  Of course, I have always been a HUGE fan of the park - me and my best friends in High School made an annual summer trip and would ride every ride as much as we could and just make a day of it.  So, when Aunt Lori & Uncle Mike invited us to go with them for the day, I was overjoyed.  Then I stepped back and thought "well, what are the kids going to ride?"  I knew they had kid rides, but I had no idea that they had SO many.  Mallory and Ivan had a BLAST.  Everett had fun too, but I think he will really get the full experience out of it next year when he is just a touch older.  Either way, it was a huge hit.

Moving on...milestone for Wesley #2.  And this one pulls at my heart strings a little.  First Haircut.  Mallory didn't get her first haircut until after she was 1, so to do Wesley's so quickly was a hard decision.  However, since he never fully lost all his hair as an infant, the old hair was much longer then the new hair, causing the King Pin Bill Murray look as referenced above.  He looked like he had a constant comb over, and something had to be done.  Since the hair cut, it has grown quite a bit and I am letting it get a little "shaggy" to see how it looks, but it needed evened up, so that's exactly what we did.  He looked like such a little man when he was done :)

And there is June...

Neglect. Starting with May 2012

I have done an awful thing.  I have neglected the blog.  I could chalk it up to being busy; working 40 hours and managing a household of crazy kiddos while keeping my sanity - but the truth is, I have thought about blogging many, many times.  The fact of the matter is, that I have SO many updates and so many pictures, that once I got behind, the thought of trying to play catch up was overwhelming.  However, regardless of the lack of readers, followers, or interest, I want to have this blog to look back on - to remember my kids and my family at our best.  So, with that said - it is time to play catch up and try and reinstate my productive posting!

So, I am channeling May 2012 and all the fun we had.  Trying to remember the "important" milestones or days we may have had.  First up?  Everett turns 2!

Everett's birthday was approaching and a party was in the works.  Unfortunately, he came down with something right before his birthday causing the party to have to be cancelled.  However, there were still cupcakes to be had, so we had a mini-celebration with just a couple of us.  It ended up being a nice night out and we were able to just sit outside, visit and smear ourselves with some cupcakes.

Also in May.....

We celebrated the baptism of Baby Wes & Little Sweet Aevan.  They both looked so cute all dressed  up in their Sunday best.  We chose Wesley's Godmother as my sister, Aunt EE & the Godfather Uncle Mike.  I know that both of them love our children like their own and I would trust both families with my kids anytime, any day, under any circumstance.  They treat our kids like their own (maybe spoil them a little more) and would rise to the challenge of any obstacle if we needed them to.  We are so lucky to have such amazing family and we cherish them so much.  I honestly do not know what I would do if I didn't have all my sisters!  After marrying Marc, I gained two amazing sisters that I feel like I have known forever.  Not to mention my two brothers I got through marriage, that I know I can count on rain or shine.  In my case, in-laws are great!!

And to finish off the longest post ever (well, until I catch up on June, July, & August) we have the Memorial Day Parade!  Every year our community does has a Memorial Day Parade.  It is very close to our house and the kids love it, so we always head down to see the floats, bands, and Vets pass by.  Since my sister was in town, they came with us and I think Baby Aevie loved it just as much as my two :)

Hugs

Easter!!

The Easter Bunny came to visit this year and left some great goodies for the little ones.  He also made sure to take all the colored eggs from our previous post and hide them all around the house for Mallory to find.  She was so excited to find all the eggs and eventually her basket as well.  Her favorite present from the Easter bunny?  An Angry Bird.  She still sleeps with it every night and often times insists on bringing it to the store when we run errands.  

After we found all the eggs and the baskets, my family came by for brunch and a small visit before Aunt EE and Uncle Todd made their way back home.  We had some good food and even managed to get some pictures outside when the sun decided to show :)

 Wes' basket

 Mallory's basket

 The excited and eager little man reaching for his goodies

 Angry Bird got a HUGE hug

 "Look MOM!!  Angry Bird!"

 One of the few times Mallory gets candy before breakfast :)

 Pretty flowers for all to see

 As I called them - Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

 Serious pose

Funny Faces :)

Coloring Eggs with Jazz Hands

Leave it to Mallory and Liam to turn egg coloring into a a super fantastic coloring - dress up - dancing extravaganza!  These two are so funny to watch.  They carry on the funniest conversations and (often) play so well together.  Liam came over this year to help us color eggs and prepare for the Easter Bunny.  They had a great time coloring the eggs and didn't quite understand the concept of 1 egg per bowl, but that is okay.  Pastel color eggs are just as good as the ones rich in color.  

After the coloring was done, the two scampered off and played in the play room.  Once they emerged, both complete in dress up garb, they jumped up and down, so proud of themselves and obviously having a ball.  Now...to get to the post where the Easter Bunny comes....