The Fighter's

One of my absolute things about Kate is her hair. No matter how nicely or smoothly I brush it after her bath or in the morning, 5 minutes later it's full of crazy and free curls. Love it! Ava actually pointed her hair out today and I had to take a pic...it was extra crazy. I especially like the middle picture. She's like...come on mom...seriously? Sorry Kate...your mom just thinks you're just too cute.

My good friend Allison turned 30 today! We surprised her at PF Changs and had a fun girls night out. Excellent food, great cake, fun times making her stand out with balloons, some singing, a crown...and great times with some of the best company in town! Happy Birthday Al!!! Hope your day was super and that this year brings loads of blessings your way. :-)

We have been working with Ava & Kate on sharing lately. It seems that whatever one is playing with...the other one wants. And let me tell you...the girls have some pretty powerful vocal chords (high pitched squeals) when they don't get their way. So needless to say...we've been "cracking down", working on mitigating the arguments (and high pitched squeals). So on days like today when Ava, the big sis, seems to display some sense of maturity and involve her sister in her play activities, sharing along the way...it makes me so happy! I know we'll always have battles, but we're working to develop a relationship in the girls of love, kindness, thoughtfulness and friendship towards each other. Here is a shot of them sharing...Ava gave Kate one of her Thomas slippers and they were both walking around playing with one Thomas slipper on all morning. They alternated between Little People, Trains, dress up and coloring. Thank God for peaceful mornings! After naps,...

I am loving summer. Pregnant and all. Warm weather, cooking out, sun...and now the pool! Ava started swim lessons last week and LOVES them. They're learning how to kick, paddle, float...also working on going under water and just becoming more comfortable in the pool. She is my ever cautious child but has been stepping out of her shell to try some new moves, and it's so fun to watch. She is so proud of herself! I'm proud of her too:-) Today we took advantage of the warm weather and hung out at the pool. Kate (my ever daring child who would jump of the high dive if I let her) found her new favorite thing to do...pour. She would stand on the side of the baby pool and pour all day if we let her! Ava spent the day throwing rings and finding them. I also braved it out and took them over to the "big" pool where they took turns jumping in...having a ball (and waring mommy out:-)).

We spent lots of time playing inside on this rainy day. And my favorite thing...the girls were so sweet to each other and played so well together today! They shared, said thank-you, played side by side without fighting...which was all music to my ears and heart (all days aren't as smooth as this...trust me!). My favorite...Ava would help Kate or give her something and Kate would reply "Thank you Ava" and Ava would say "No Problem". :-) It's just such a nice breather to have days like this, and so fun to watch their little friendship bloom. I pray that we have more days like this in the future than not!

Uncle Pat came into town this weekend for a visit. Saturday night the guys decided to have a rib cook off...each conjuring their own sauce and cooking with different techniques. They were hilarious...talking smack all day to each other about ribs. All concoctions were Delicious with a capital D, each having their own flavor and zing. For this first cook off though...Uncle Pat was the winner. We documented his victory in the record books. Here's to summer, cookouts, family and our guys...especially when they cook for us!

We took advantage of the sunny weather and hit up the zoo & park...and then made cupcakes (because mommy was craving them:-)). Highlight of the zoo...train ride of course! Morning and picnic at one of our favorite parks... Cupcakes (with sprinkles!)! Little People on the Deck!

Can't forget Baby Fighter...the girls and I trekked to my 24 week appointment today and got to hear his/her heartbeat! It was strong and perfect!! Yay ! Although this little one likes to move as soon as the Doppler hears the heartbeat...stage fright? Ava was enamored by the whooshing sound and Kate just sort of sat there, unimpressed:-) So far, outside of a few minor aches and pains this pregnancy has been good. My BP was 116/58...no swelling...and on track as far as measurements. And my energy has been up lately so I'm praying this continues ( although we'll see how "cheery" I am 8.5 months pregnant, in the middle of August. All about the attitude...right??)!! And let me just tell you how funny it is to take a 3 year old to the OB office...Ava is going through a "why" and "what's that" phase and it definitely added some comedy to the doctors, nurses and my day:-) So excited for Baby Fighter's arrival!!

The weather here this week has been sort of rainy during the day (and chilly). So we've been trying to find some fun inside stuff to do. Yesterday we made pizza for lunch, did some artsy stuff and went to the rec center. The girls had a blast making the pizza and were so proud as we ate the pizza that they made (especially Ava!). Today we set up a Little People Village and the girls had a blast. I love watching them play and use their little imaginations. I love Ava's little voices she makes up for the people and my favorite today was her singing the "I Know You" song from Sleeping Beauty as she was playing with her prince, princess and castle. Kate gets so intent on what she's playing with too...repeating the same process over and over again (baby going down the slide...putting the apples in the tree, etc.). In between Little People they played Thomas the Train and raced them across the kitchen floor. Ava can be a little bossy...always telling Kate what to do, wh...

All dressed up and ready for church...I had to snag a few shots:-)

Ava is absolutely loving her art class! Below are the two most recent things they put together...a crab and a lizard. I'm taking pics instead of hanging onto everything (as much as I would like to). I'm such a sucker and hate throwing stuff away so pics are the next best thing. AND...in BIG news tonight...Katelyn went potty on the big girl potty for the very first time!!!!!! Right before bath time and with a little encouragement from her big sis...we had success!!! She was SO proud of herself that she sat on that potty for about 10 minutes, clapping for herself and doing a little dance (while sitting on the potty) to the music that plays when she goes!!!! It was hilarious. Doug and I were making fun of ourselves for how excited we got. She's still a little young so we're not getting our hopes up for complete potty training, but it is at least a start. And we are SOOO proud of our Katie-Kate! Ava was also proud of her self for encouraging her sis. She said to me......

It has been raining this week and I have loved it. Thunderstorms are the best...as long as there isn't too much wind and lightning:-) And this week they have been perfect. Enough to make us feel cozy inside! We had a downpour today and as I was loading the dishwasher, I looked over to the family room and saw the girls just absolutely fascinated with the water spilling over from the gutters. I had to catch a picture. They sat there for about 10 minutes and just watched it rain...asking questions..."where does the rain come from", "why do plants drink water" and worrying about their picnic table getting wet. I love little kid curiosity and fascination. It's the best!

Thankful isn't a big enough word to describe the gratitude we have for all the men and women that have sacrificed so much and served our country. And we're just as thankful for their families that have given as much. We have been blessed in this country by these men and women in ways beyond compare. It's because of them that we are able to freely enjoy fun mornings as we had today. We picked up grandma & grandpa, ate "downtown" at a cafe, drank coffee and watched our town's Memorial Day parade. Ava and Kate loved it, and I had fun going a little crazy with red, white and blue accessories:-)

The girls were so excited for Grammy to come and spend the weekend with them! They had so much fun with her...early morning bubbles on the deck, a walk/bike-ride to the park, shopping, reading, playing and of course lots of hugs and Grammy cuddles. Not to mention Grammy spoiled all of us (including my parents and family friends) with a super yum dinner of London Broil and her famous salad and twice baked potatoes on Saturday night. She spoiled Doug and I with some extra help and motivation around the house. Doug and her cleared out the last of the moving stuff and boxes and we can now park both cars in the garage. After 3 weeks we are officially completely unpacked. Yay ! We love our Grammy.

We are so enjoying this weather...playing outside, windows open, trips to the park. And...the pool opens this Saturday...can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of my favorite things this spring is all the plants in our backyard. I'm still trying to figure out what everything is (I'm hoping Doug's mom can help me when she visits this weekend), but I am definitely enjoying the scenery. I also put together some pots of flowers...now lets see if I can keep them alive throughout the summer! I am a nerd and took some pics to document Fighter-ville's first bloom in our new home. Hopefully one day far in the future we can look outside and it will still be just as great (I'm really worried about killing it all!....did I mention I don't have the greenest of thumbs?). If not, we'll at least have the pictures to remember it by! Hope you are enjoying your spring just as much!

Doug and I were so lucky at our first home to have landed next to people that would not only be our neighbors, but that would become some of our very best friends. We all started out living on our street (2 and 3 doors down from each other), newly married and no kids. After hanging out a few times and clicking...the rest is history! Look at what we've grown to over the past 6 years (see pic below)! Seven kiddos all under the age of four and one on the way! We have shared lots of meals, play time, pool time, zoo time, babysitting time, pregnant time...just lots of time together. And even though we live 2 hours north now...we want to continue the fun. So...the neighbors drove the 2 hours north and came to visit! We were SO happy to have them...it was so much fun and the kids had a ball! The day started with a pizza party lunch, followed by lots of playing, chaos, screaming and running around the house (did I mention they were all under the age of 4?) and a trip to our town...

Tonight the girls and I went to my parents for dinner and my dad got orange/vanilla ice cream but told the girls that it was Orange Scream Ice Cream. So after dinner he dished out our bowls of "orange scream", took a bite and screamed. The girls thought it was hilarious and followed suit. They took the orange "scream" very literally...screaming after their bites:-) Who knew ice cream could be even more fun than it already is! Here's to Grandpa (pee-paw or gaw-paw as Kate says) and orange scream ice cream!

Happy Mother's Day! I am definitely a happy mom. My girls bring so much joy to my heart and I am so thankful that I have been so blessed by them. And not only am I blessed to be a mom on this Mother's Day...I'm so blessed to be a daughter to my amazing mom and mom in law. They are such strong, good hearted, faithful, loving women and if I can be half the mom and set half the example that they've provided to Doug and I, then I'll be doing OK .

Ava had her team pics taken today. They were too cute not to post. Go Wizards!

Kate found a pair of underwear today and put them around her head and arms. She was so proud of herself and kept saying..."look mommy". Her own unique accessory!