Birthday Party Season!

'Tis the season for birthday parties - and extravagant ones at that! Last weekend we went to Cousin Tyler's 3rd birthday. Brooklynn loved the sandbox, the jump house, and the snowcones!

Tyler & Brooklynn jumping!

Enjoying her 1st snowcone! Delicious!

This weekend was Chase's 2nd birthday party. The weather was super windy, but that didn't stop the kids from having a good time. There were so many little ones running around - it made us realize how much our lives have changed. Instead of chatting around a keg we're chatting around a sandbox. Chase was such a cutie and enjoyed running around with all the kids. At the end of the party he planted a few smooches on Brooklynn, but of course I didn't have the camera ready.

Brooks with Chandler

Brooklynn & Madison drenching themselves at the water table
Brooklynn having fun again on the jump house. This time she was more daring going down the slide head-first!

Early Retirement

So the decision has been finalized......I'll be staying home next year with the girls. I was offered a part-time teaching position again for next year, but with two little ones the priorities have really changed! The past 2 1/2 years have gone by too fast, and I've realized that I need to be here with the girls. I'm excited to stay home with them and experience all the moments everyday! I feel very blessed to have the option to stay home - thanks for that one Steve! They will hold my job for up to 2 years, and with this economy I'm lucky to have that option. We'll see what the future holds........

One Happy Mama....

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and thankful we were all able to get together for such a meaningful weekend. Saturday morning we celebrated Mother's Day with Grandma Betsy with Andy, Makenzie, and us. Saturday afternoon was the best - napping with Brooklynn! She has never done well sleeping with us, so it must've been an early Mother's Day present! Saturday evening we had the Deegans and Startzels over for dinner. After the kiddos went to bed, we broke out Catan!

Sunday my wonderful husband made us breakfast - waffles, bacon, and fruit. He is the waffle king! Then we headed out to the zoo - a popular place for Mother's Day. Who would've thought? Now Brooklynn understands the "choo choo", and that's all she wants to do. Uh oh!

Riding the carousel with daddy

Sunday afternoon we drove to G & G Wesling's for dinner and another Mother's Day celebration. Brooklynn was such a ham and entertained us all! Here she is giving me my gift. (She doesn't stay still long enough for a posing picture)

The girls!

My wonderful husband is great at making sure my Mother's Day is always special, but of course, just having two healthy beautiful babies is enough for me! Brooklynn & Chandler - I absolutely love being your mommy. You make every day just a little more special, and I'm looking forward to spending even more time with you next year! Love you my princesses!

If You're Happy.......

Brooklynn loves to sing just about any song. Here we caught her on camera finally!

Oh How the Time Flies...

Our little girl is already 6 months old....wow! Today was her check-up, and the doctor was excited to see her so healthy. Here's the latest stats:

Height: 25" 25th percentile
Weight: 15 lb 13 oz 48th percentile
Head circumference 16" 19th percentile

We were surprised the doc called her "petite", and it made me laugh. I would hardly call her that, but apparently the numbers don't lie. She's eating like crazy and is already up to 3 meals a day.

Here's a few recent pics of the little one. Sweet shades
First time in shoes

Chandler's First Trip

Last week Stevehad to go to Portland, so Chandler and I tagged along for the weekend. We thought taking both kids would be too tough, and we knew it'd be easier to travel with Chandler, and Brooklynn wouldn't enjoy the traveling. We left early Friday morning and headed to the city. The weather was cold and windy by the river, so we thought maybe Washington Park would be warmer - wrong. The park is right outside the city and is beautiful! Our first stop was the rose garden,but it was too early and no blooming roses. Our next stop was the Japanese Tea Garden, which was cold but tranquil.

Ready to take on the gardens

City view from the Tea Garden

Rockin the sunglasses and pacifier
Saturday we drove to the coast and hung out in Cannon Beach (where the famous Goonies rock is). It was a cute town, and the coast was beautiful! Even with the cold wind we enjoyed walking the beach and a good lunch.

We took Chandler swimming for the first time at the hotel. Luckily the pool was warm, so she really liked it. Can't wait for this summer!

We flew back Sunday, and Chandler did awesome on both flights. I was scared to fly alone with her, but she slept almost the entire flight. It was tough to have both girls by myself last week, especially with them both having colds, so we were ecstatic to see Steve on Thursday!

Here comes the solids!

After we returned from Arizona we figured we'd better start Chandler on cereal, since she has been eating like crazy and struggles to fill herself up! We were waiting until it was necessary, because there's already so much on our plates having two little ones. With Brooklynn we couldn't wait to start the solids...not so much with Chandler. She did really well and is getting better each day. This week we'll start the veggies - I already cooked up some yummy carrots!

Before

(Of course we had to do the Bumbo on the table)

Halfway done - the hardest part was keeping those fingers out of her mouth
Of course Brooklynn had to be the good helper and jam the food in Chandler's mouth. It was too stinkin' cute though.