Solid Food for the Solid Boy

Monday, August 15th. Austie Boy's first solids. Leah and all her girls were there to witness the awesomeness. Baby food, cute kids and a huge mess...does life get any better?

Audrey mixin it up:

First bite by Audrey.  All the kids took a turn feeding Austin, and taking pictures.

The many faces of Austin:

The verdict? He loves food, just like his mom.

Audrey's Birthday Party

More partying. American Girl Doll store. I planned this before I knew we were going to have to be out of our house 3 weeks later. Brilliant. No mess to clean up, someone else cooked, and everyone had fun. My kind of party!

The girls were able to make birthday hats for their American Girl dolls.

Since Audrey's doll looks just like Audrey, and Audrey just got her ears pierced, then Norie (her doll) got to get her ears pierced too.  Naturally.
Audrey signing Norie up.

All done!

We were so lucky to have so many girls Audrey's age.  She was lucky to have such good friends.  And I was lucky because their moms are pretty awesome too.

Audrey's 6th Birthday

Our baby girl is six. She is such a sweet girl, such a great helper, and her little brothers are so lucky to have her. And I am so lucky to her as my sweet girl.

On the morning of Audrey's big day, we went to the movies and saw Tales of Despereaux.

 

She had been begging to get her ears pierced and when I told her in the car that Dave and I decided she could, she started to cry she was so excited.

 

But before the piercing, we went to the pool with friends for swimming and popsicles. (Tatum and Abby were out of town, and Chloe just got her tonsils out)

 

For her birthday dinner, Audrey chose Outback.  She loves the baked potato soup, and I love the steak so it was a win win situation. After dinner it was time to get her ears pierced!
Before:

 

Deciding what earring to put in:

 

Joshua being the noble brother that he is, and holding her hand while the piercing lady was getting ready:

 

After.  Only a few tears from the birthday girl.  They had to do one ear at a time and Audrey was very nervous about that part.  She pulled through and now has sparkly ears!

 

The whole process took over an hour and Joshua himself and Austin entertained.

 

Then it was home for presents and cake.  It was a great day celebrating our Audrey! Happy birthday sweet girl!

 

 

It was too hot to bake a cake.  Thanks Tom Thumb for doing it for me. 

Catching Up

Life has been crazy. Crazy fun, but crazy. We had to be out of our house in Texas on Sept 2, but we weren't moving until October 1st. Long story...the owner wanted to get someone long term in during peak rental season (the summer) and so they kicked us out 30 days before we were moving. Super awesome. I was l.i.v.i.d. at first, but then it actually worked out to be a blessing. We have some amazing friends who let us stay with them for the month and it was fun to spend quality time together before we moved. Who doesn't love sleepovers?! Our kids loved it, and it was so fun to spend all day with friends. Plus we never had to wake up a napping baby to pick up the older kids from school! Huge bonus!
I am going to try to catch up on the last few months of our life. We are officially moved in and Dave has graduated and started WORK!!!! WAHOOO!!! We are done with school! Parts of it will make me sad, seeing our old Texas life and the friends we miss so much. But we are excited to be here and for the new friends and memories we will make. Life has been so good to us.

Six Months

I could eat this boy for breakfast. I love his chub, I love this age, I love what a very happy baby he is. Eat.him.up I tell ya.

AustieBoy at six months:

Blowing raspberries, all day long

I know all babies are flexible, but I attribute his skills to the fact I did the splits the day I had him.

And he's done with the photo shoot.

At six months, Austin:
*blows raspberries like a champion
*loves to grab for anything in reach
*rolls over
*somehow turns 180 degrees in his bed so his feet are where his head was when I put him to bed
*has his two bottom teeth
*coos
*loves to stand
*drools, drools, drools

I love this age. I love the interaction with Austin with his older siblings. Audrey and Joshua have always loved Austin, but I feel like in the last month or so they have really started to enjoy him so much. Austin laughs with them, rolls on the ground with them, and Audrey loves to hold him. She can get him out of his bed (a pack and play, so lame) and really feels protective and proud of her baby brother.

Ten Years

Ten years is big. Ten years is huge. Ten years is a decade. I can't believe I have been married for 10 years.  It has been a wild ride, but worth every second.  I love this man 10 times the amount I did on our wedding day, and that was a lot.

August 2, 2001

August 2, 2011
Dave and I went out the night before.  We went to dinner and then to a movie (Crazy, Stupid Love). On our actual anniversary we celebrated our family "birthday" by going to get sandwiches for dinner and then getting Ben & Jerry's phish food ice cream.  I was going to bake a cake, but with this insane heat I wasn't going to turn my oven on. We came home and ate our ice cream while we all snuggled and watched our wedding video.  Love that tradition.

I love the man I married 10 years ago, and I love the little family we created together.  I feel so blessed.
AustieBoy was taking a nap all nakey because of the heat and after he woke up Audrey and Joshua loved snuggling him.

Happy 10th anniversary to us!
Super excited about our cruise in October!!!

My Little 1st Grader

Dear Audrey,
Please stay sweet. Please stay innocent. Please continue to love your family more than anything. Please remember you will always always always be my baby girl.
~Mom

Here we go again. This first day of school was not nearly as emotional as last year (pregnant. first day of kindergarten...not a good combo for last year). She was ready, so I was ready. She felt a little nervous, but I hyped it up big time. We had a great summer but I am ready for some structure and routines. I miss her sweet face while she is away though. Joshua does too. He must have asked 15 times, "Where's my Audrey? When is she coming home?" I swear even Austin missed her. She is such a good helper with the boys. We all look forward to 3:00 all day around here.

My Miss.

The school girl with her crazy brothers. Oh Joshua.

No tears for me this year.  I think I traumatized Audrey last year and I was trying to stay positive.  Dave even went to his own school this year and didn't have to beg for the hour off to console his out of control wife. Progress.  Until Joshua starts kindergarten, then I will be a mess all over again (or maybe even preschool).

I came into the kitchen and found this:
I asked Joshua what he was doing and he said, "Me packing a wunch so we can go eat with Audrey. Me miss hur!" He was making himself a bagel sandwich...a blueberry bagel with nuts on it. okay.

The night before school started, Dave gave Audrey a blessing. He blessed her to be confident and kind. Joshua pulled up a chair right next to Audrey. Of course I peeked a few times. Audrey never moved, eyes closed the whole time with a little smile on her sweet face. Joshua...off the chair, on the chair, off the chair, then on the chair, looked at Dave, and then Joshua sat on the chair and put his own hands on his head. I love it.

Before I Forget

We have started packing.  Our time here in Texas is quickly winding down.  I am so excited for Dave to finally be ours, and not be in school anymore.  I found a list today of cute little things Joshua said and did that I had scribbled on a scratch piece of paper.  I want to type them before I either lost the paper, or forgot what I wrote. Some of these were from when he was two.

Joshua: (these were for sure when he was 2)
*says "dee doo" and it means thank you (Audrey used to say gee goo when she was a baby, sometimes Dave and I will still joke and say gee goo to each other)
*he was worried that everyone and everything was going to bite him.  At the grocery store, "Mommy, that man bite me?" or "That tree bite me?" He was bitten by a wasp once, I think that's where that fear steams from
*asks a question and when I respond he says, "Oh, hee hee" I loved his little giggle at the end
*he would always ask me, "Dat make you happy mommy?" If I ever wanted anything I could just say it made me sad when he didn't do what I asked and without fail he would do what I asked.  And then say, "Dat make you happy?" to which I would always respond, "Yes Joshua, you make me very happy."
*said, "hooray!" if he was excited about something
*when saying prayer, it sounded like he was saying "chuck e. cheese" instead of Jesus.  Maybe he was?
*when he said "why" it sounded like "hi".  I'm sure people thought he was a very friendly little boy (which he is) when he was really being very inquisitive
* this boy has the best ears.  He can hear noises I tune out.  Like when the air conditioner turns on he woud ask, "whats dat noise?" to explain to me the noise, he would pretend to snap his fingers, and make a clicking sound with his tongue.  One time at Walmart he pointed to the temperature gauge in the milk section and said, "Mom! Wook!" And then make the clicking sound with his tongue and pretended to snap his fingers.  He put it together that the cold air must be coming on
*he called his binki his "ba ba"
* right before I had Austin I was snuggling with Joshua on his rocking chair (the best I could with a huge belly) and I told him how he used to be a baby in my tummy.  He pulled up my shirt and put his head against my belly and said, "Me no fit na" translation: I don't fit in there
*when Austin was a newborn he got the hiccups.  I said, "Joshua, look! Austin has the hiccups!" Joshua ran over to me and put his hand on my belly.  He was so used to feeling the baby have the hiccups inside of me that he forgot the baby was out
*when Austin was a newborn, Joshua couldn't remember his name.  He thought his name was Rockwell, my nephew. When we asked Joshua what his baby's name was, he would either say, "Wockwell" or pause for a long time.  Then we would say, "Aa, aaaa, aaa...." and he would still say, "Aaa, aaa, aa, wochwell!" Then when he finally learned his baby's name was Austin, he would pronounce it Raustin
* He would look at Austin and say, "Is dat my baby?" My friend Mandy had a baby 10 days before I had Austin, and Joshua couldn't tell them apart
*Joshua would repeat everything I would say to Austin.  I loved it.  He still does this sometimes.  When we would go get Austin up after a nap I would say, "Good morning sweet boy!" and then Joshua would say the exact same thing in his little baby voice.  Then I would make up these sayings just to hear how cute Joshua was when he said them..."Good morning chubbalicious", or "How's our sweet little man?"
* Joshua said to me one day, "Mom, I love you" then I said, "I love you more" and then he said, "I love you most. Hey! The witch on Tangled say that!"
* Currently, Joshua says, "And dats it" when he wants something to stop

Audrey also has been saying some cute things too.  One day they were playing in Audrey's room together and I heard Audrey say, "I just love you when you make that face Joshua!" I went in and asked what kind of face he made and it was a smile.  I love how well these two get along.

Audrey will be watching Austin and say, "I am just dying over him! He is so cute!"

Life Lessons

Audrey and Joshua have been so helpful in teaching Austin all he needs to know.

Lessons by Audrey and Joshua on how to roll over: 7.9.11

Joshua showing Austin how it's done.  "Furst start wike dis"

"Den do dis"

"Ewww did it!"

Austin's turn. Giving words of encouragement.  Joshua says, "ewww can do it Ausin!"

So proud!

And again.

I love the look on his face.  I can almost hear what he is thinking, "Thanks Mom for having me wear a poop stained onesie.  Classy."

He's over the onesie.  Let's keep rolling!

Happy rolling!