:)

I feel like we've been doing so many big things lately I need to update on the everyday things too!

Hunter has been so fun to be around lately.  If you know him, you know that he is the biggest ham in town. I have never met anyone who cheeses bigger than this boy does! It makes me laugh every time.  He is also a climber.  He may not be able to walk but he climbs on everything...all the way up the stairs with no knowledge of how to get back down safely! He climbs on top of the picnic table on anything else he can, including mommy's legs.  He is a pretty happy boy which makes my life a lot easier, although sometimes I just want the kid to go to bed and he just wants to play! (thankfully he is almost always in bed by 8:30!)  He's really into pointing and shaking his head no right now.  I can't wait to watch him over the next few months as he continues to grow and learn new things.

 

Mia is also a riot! She has been doing well with the potty training and has finally started going at Tonya's too! She wants to swing and run to the water every day now since we've been out a couple times, however it has NOT been so nice this week so it's hard to explain that she has to wait! The other night she figured out how to stick corn up her nose, and she can now blow bubbles in her drink if she has a straw, yay!! She definitely thinks she's the boss and has just recently started calling me mom once in awhile instead of mommy and I'm not sure how I feel about that one yet.  If I get mad and she knows she's in trouble she starts crying for Daddy! We have to read books before bed every night and now I have to lay next to her in bed to read the last one (I love this even if it is the same book every night!) Oh there are so many things!!

Every night I like to go into their rooms before I go to bed and watch them sleep.  It reminds me of how lucky I am to have such an amazing family!!!

Doctor Check-Ups

Monday Mia & Hunter had to go in for their wellness check-ups.  Both kids passed with flying colors! Here are their measurements:

MIA
2 years old
29 pounds (75th percentile)
36 inches tall (80-85th percentile)

HUNTER
1 year old
24 pounds 6 ounces (75th percentile)
31 inches tall (90th percentile)
Head is still off the charts...on the large side!!

Dr. Kline was very impressed with Mia's potty skills and he said that both kids seem to be developmentally ahead of schedule (so proud!) Hunter had to get 3 shots which he was not too excited about but he made it! He also had to get a prescription for his bottom so we can hopefully get rid of his painful looking diaper rash...we'll see if it works!

Happy Birthday Hunter!

Hunter is one!!!! I know it's hard to believe, this year really flew by!! It has definitely been a fun year.  Hunter is really starting to develop his own personality and I have a feeling he is going to end up being a little stinker just like his big sister and his Daddy! I have a feeling he'll be walking pretty soon too.  He has been practicing a lot behind his walker, now if Mia would just stop pushing him over he might have a chance!

We celebrated Hunter's birthday this past Sunday with lots of family members and it was a great party.  Hunter got a lot of great gifts and told me to tell everyone THANK YOU! Following are a few pictures from the party.

Tin Caps

We went to our first Tin Caps game this past Sunday and it was great! It was the first really warm day of the year...84! and we needed an excuse to be outside and not working so away we went.  Nana & Pops and Uncle Brian & Kayci were able to join us so it was even better :)  The kids were great.  Uncle Brian bought both the kids new Tin Caps hats and we got to eat some ice cream!!  Mia was able to run up and down the hill and she played with some of the other big kids.  She also made a new friend and shared some of her snacks with Lily! However, Mia did decide that she does NOT like Johnny.  She was looking at a statue and then when the real Johnny wanted to say hi she ran away crying! Nana felt bad since they were on a walk together when they found Johnny but I think she made it unscathed! Here are a few pics of our first outing of the year.  I'm hoping we'll be able to go to a few more games this season!!

Spring Break!!

We have successfully completed our first beach vacation! The only bad part was that Daddy wasn't able to go with us :( maybe next time!!

Thankfully for me, the kids left on Thursday night with Grandma and Grandpa since I had to work Friday. They say the trip down went well, but Mia did get carsick twice.  It's a good thing they had an empty container and clothes handy in case of emergency! Grandma also had to change Hunter's clothes on the way down since he was loaded with pee!! On the bright side, at least he drank sitting up for a change.  Our ride down Friday evening was pretty uneventful...only 1 10-minute traffic jam so not bad! We arrived at about 5am Alabama time and were all looking forward to crawling into beds before the sun came up...not the case for this mommy! Hunter woke up when we got there and I could not get him to go back to sleep for more than 5 minutes in my arms...so off to the beach we went to watch the sunrise.  No reason we should wake up the rest of the condo!

Car is packed to the gills and kids are still happy!!

Hunter on the beach BEFORE sunrise!

We mostly just played at the beach every day which was wonderful.  The girls especially loved the beach.  Mia kept marveling that she could hear the birdies!! As we all know, there are plenty of seagulls on the beach...Mia tried and tried but she never did catch one! The ocean was a little scary at first but they eventually got used to it.  Mia liked to sit up on the beach and wait for the water to come to her.  On the big waves they would turn her sideways as the rolled back out which was quite amusing, although she didn't always think so! Hunter did well on the beach but he sure liked his momma.  It was hard to play with Mia without him crying.  The worst part about the beach was the sand sticking to the snotty noses of my children!! Oh well, the price we pay for a good time. 

Mia getting swept away by the waves!

Hunter...not liking the ocean!!

Mia jumping waves :)

Mia's not sure she likes being buried in the sand!

Hunter building sand castles...or eating sand!

Snack time...try to just eat the crackers and not the sand!

Mia chasing the birdies!

Mommy & Hunter

Mommy & Mia

What are you doing Hunter?

We love the ocean!!!!!

Aside from the beach we also played in the pools a few times, which all three children loved! One day, I went to the store and bought the kids some floaties and then Erin and I took all 3 to the pool ourselves and they loved it, even Hunter was happy in his little float! The girls, of course, preferred jumping (or falling in Mia's case) into the pool but it worked out since Hunter liked splashing! We also got ice cream a few times went to the Hangout one night, where we ate dinner and then played on the huge sand mound. 



Hunter loves the pool!

Ice Cream! Ice Cream!

Mia, Queen of the Mountain!





Say "CHEESE!"

 


Mia & Kylee

 On Wednesday we got to go on a boat ride with Mom's high school friend.  Hunter fell asleep as soon as the boat got up to speed and the girls loved it.  We got to go under a bridge, which Mia thought was pretty cool and then we went to Pirate's Cove for lunch.  The sign at Pirate's Cove said if you don't like dogs you shouldn't be here...the girls loved it.  I think Mia gave all 10 dogs that we saw hugs...thank goodness they were all nice dogs!! They also got to see a bunch of minnows and a crab that some other kids caught that they thought were pretty cool!

Boat ride!!

Giving the dog's at Pirate's Cove some love!!

Mia's quote of the week "What happened?"  I think she must have asked that question 50 times.  We usually just answered with "Andrew did it!" or "Grandma did it!" My favorite Kylee quote was when she saw Mia and I coming back from a beach visit while she was napping...she yelled "There's my sister!" and then the girls ran to each other and hugged like that hadn't been spending every waking minute together! 

Mia & Kylee being goofy!

Definitely one of my favorite pics!!!

Overall, it was a great and much needed vacation! Next time, I pray that Jared can join us because 2 kids and a sandy beach are a lot of work for 1 mommy! We had family help but it's just not the same!! This makes me look forward to future trips with the kids because I love watching them get excited about different things. 

Chillin' on the deck with friends!