Beach Excursion

We had a great time on our trip to the beach. A super big thank you to the Pipes family for inviting us on their beach weekend. We enjoyed the get-a-way and beach air. It was as relaxing as possible with 3 small kiddos. (Mommy and daddy really need a vacation all to themselves.) I had a blast watching the big two run back and forth from the water, build sandle castles and chase bubbles.

 

They couldn't get to the water fast enough

 

 

 First time flying a kite

 The crew living it up in the water

 Givin' my daddy sloppy kisses

After the fun in the water at the beach, the kids kept asking to play in the water when we were home this week. My response of course was, "It has to be hot enough to play in the sprinkler and that probably won't happen for a month or so." Mother nature decided to make a liar of me and gave us very hot weather in March...thus a trip through the sprinkler was required for my precious babies. Alex sat in his highchair while brother and sister leapt in and out of the falling drops.

 

And for anyone that did not believe me...here is my baby boy doing his infamous plank!!!

Love to all...peace of the Lord be with you!

Bella Day 2013

Thank you all for acknowledging and commenting on our precious baby girls special day. Four years ago this evening we walked out of the UVa NICU on the 7th floor of the Children's Hospital with our fragile, stitched up little princess. Each second we thought that we would break her or something would go wrong after all she had been through. Four years later she is one tough little (although slightly dramatic) cookie. We went out to breakfast at our favorite place early this morning before dropping daddy off at work, then headed to the park and then the book store. We came back home for lunch and quiet time (she is now refusing to nap, which doesn't turn out well once evening hits). After Zach woke up, they danced to their favorite Wii games. Then daddy came home early so we could go to the new La Madeline down the road and then head to the grocery store to prepare for this weekend. We are taking a much needed trip to the beach. I haven't been to the Gulf Coast in years, so I am quite excited. Here are a couple of pictures from our big girls special day. Love to you all!

My silly pose with my Virginia bloomers, Aristocats shirt and Wonder Bella head band
(these are a few of her handful of items she likes to wear ALL the time)

My Bella Day balloon

The first chocolate she has had in weeks, I had to pry it from her hands

Chillin' with my brothers in our dress up clothes building puzzles

We Made It

We made it through our first week without daddy. Chris was in Qatar all this past week. My mom helped in the beginning of the week by letting us crash at her place and taking a couple of days off to spend time with me and the kiddos. For the most part we did well. There were a bunch of “Where is daddy?” ‘s and only a little crying. But we did our best to explain where he was, showing them on the map, and saying that he was working. Next up is China, Malaysia and Australia. I will have to plan way in advance for ways to keep them entertained and distracted. I have a feeling the next trip will be harder for them to bare. Once he got home they were all about daddy with tons of hugs, kisses and tickle sessions.

Zach was probably the biggest handful. As my mom put it, a double dose of the terrible 2s. He is full of attitude, is aggressive, and does everything you tell or ask him not to. Although incredibly loveable and sweet at the same time; kills you with those precious smiles and looks.

Alex is turning into more and more of a little man each day. He is rolling all over the place, pulling himself forward with his hands (no army crawls yet), pushing himself backward, pushing himselfall the way up into full plank position, saying mama all the time, sitting for about 30 seconds by himself, and loves playing with toys. The scary part is that he LOVES his big brother. They will be next to each other smiling away and bust into laughs without stopping for at least a couple of minutes. These two are going to be a pair of tricksters once Alex is walking.

Bella is the ultimate big sister. She has become very hands on with helping our littlest man. We are so proud of her. She definitely still has a bit of diva in her and Ms. Priss attitude, but it has mellowed out some. Both she and Zach have started a gymnastics class that they love. We see an improvement in her overall motor skills already, way more than what she was getting with a basic tumbling and dance class while at daycare. And speaking of our precious preemie baby, Happy Parents of Preemie’s day…the one day a year all of us preemie parents get to pat each other on the back and say “you rock for being such a strong parent!” I have to say that all of the preemie mom’s I know are some of the best women around. We also get to celebrate Bella Day this week…the day we brought our precious girl home from the UVa Children’s Hospital; nurses/doctors…expect your cake this week.

Here are a few pictures from our adventures last week...Peace of the Lord be with You!