Easter Weekend

We had a fabulous Easter weekend back in Indiana! It was great to spend time with family (I think we saw just about everyone this time!) We started the day off with an Easter egg hunt that my Dad's work put together. Allie found the GOLDEN EGG!!! It had a $20 gift card to Meijer in it (thanks for helping her "find" it Dad!)

89 cent bowling was a lot of fun. Allie looked so cute in her little bowling shoes.

Sunday was filled with family, food and fun.
I was proud of my little bird's nests (and thought they tasted pretty good too!)

The Easter egg hunt was a success and the silly string was a lot of fun for the kids. We already miss everyone and can't wait until our next visit.

The Babies!

Growing Up

After reading a comment on my last post from my sister-in-law, Tami, I've started to realize how much my little girls are really growing up. Allie, in fact, is looking less like a toddler and more like a little girl. I never really noticed it until I read the comment.....but I am with her every day so things start to blend together (if that makes sense). She must still look enough like a toddler to get flight attendants to think we're crazy for buying a ticket for a child under two though! {on our trip to Idaho the flight attendant was going to give Allie's seat away and we were like, uh no, we paid for that seat......why? b/c you made us, she's 2........if you want to give us our money back we would gladly put her on our laps!} And she must still look young enough for people to think that her and Avery are a lot closer in age than they really are.

Not only is she looking more like a little girl, but she's acting more like one too. Her FAVORITE thing to do now is to play school. Every time Avery goes down for a nap she'll ask, "Wanna play school?" in a very excited voice. We're going over the alphabet, numbers, colors and shapes. I try to get her to write them but she's not quite there yet. I've been trying to teach her some sign language (just one or two things a week) and she is soooooo good at remembering them! She knows: I love you, music, hat, cup, more, all done, cat, help me, and rainbow. She also loves to do crafts. Here are some of her latest projects (with Mom's help, of course):


Now on to Avery........I can't believe she is going to be a year old this summer! These past 8 months have gone by way to fast. She seems to be progressing at about the same pace that Allie did when she was a baby. Looking back at things, I think I'm babying Avery way too much! She should be ahead of pace since she has an older sister to watch...at least that's what I think. I do spoil her rotten though by running to her every little cry and holding her way too much.

She can get around now mostly by scooting backwards along the floor or by rotating in circles and eventually moving forward/backward a little bit. She says da da although I'm not sure she really knows what it means. She'll say ma.....again don't know if she knows that's me. I'd like to think so though! The other day I tried to get Avery to roll a ball back and forth to me......and she did!! She was doing it a lot and then Derek got the camera and she was more interested in the silver shiny camera than the ball then......but did manage to roll it a few times ;)

Magic Castle

Mony and Papa came to visit for an extended weekend and we had lots of fun! Monday was especially fun @ Rollandia - The Magic Castle. There is a ton to do there (putt putt, water wars, arcade - Chuckie Cheese style, regular golf.....and soft play - basically a giant indoor playground like you would find at McDonalds). The soft play is really cheap and even half the price M-F (expect this week b/c it was spring break for some of the schools). Allie went right in at first, but I think she must have been a little overwhelmed b/c she came out and wouldn't go back in unless I went with her. It probably would have been impossible for her to get to the very top if I wouldn't have went with her anyway.
The arcade was lots of fun too. Allie even got 50 tickets on one game!

Other highlights were bowling and the Golden Jersey Inn.


Today, we went to an activity at church. Allie got to hunt for Easter Eggs.....she's quite the observer. She only ended up with 4 eggs because she was too busy watching everyone else find them. A couple of the kids shared with her after it was all over. She's already finished off all of her candy!
Avery made a mess today while she was eating!!

Okay......this was all really RANDOM.

Spring Break - IDAHO

Derek had a week off of school for spring break so we decided to use that time to get out and visit his Mom and Dad at their new house in Idaho. They have a beautiful home! It was so great to get to visit with them and his four sisters and their families that are also in Idaho. We had such a good time!!

Avery enjoying Grandma's pool
Jumping on the trampoline
Outside with Grandma
Relaxing with Grandpa
Feeding Aunt Joyce's horse
Playing piano with Aunt Sharon
Aunt Lynette and Spanky
Avery and Aunt Natalie
Allie and Avery really enjoyed being with Grandma and Grandpa, their Aunts and Uncles and cousin Matt.......Allie is still talking about them and can't wait until they come to visit her in her "new" house.

Our Busy Week

Wow! This week has flown by. The weather has been beautiful and we've kept ourselves busy, busy. Here is a quick recap of the week:

MONDAY: Spent the day @ Boonshoft Museum of Discovery w/ friends...followed by lunch @ Chic-fil-a so the girls could play in the play area. (sorry no pics b/c I left my camera in the car). Allie LOVED Boonshoft and was getting quite brave on the slide....going down on her belly head first!

TUESDAY: Derek needed to work on his final so the girls and I were out and about pretty much all day (and a gorgeous day it was!) We went to the library, playground and a nature reserve. While at the playground Allie took her new found bravery to new heights. The slides here were so tall, but she went down them without thinking twice about it. She eventually started going down on her belly and there was this one slide that was super steep with a quick twist towards the bottom. When she hit the twist she flipped over to her back and hit her head....so she didn't want to go down the big slides anymore. I didn't want her to be afraid of them so before we left I made her go down again (this time sitting up right) and she was loving it again.
After leaving the park we went to the nature park. My plan was to take the girls pictures with their new St Patricks day gizmos that Mony and Papa sent them.......BUT the batteries in the camera died so I wasn't able to get them taken :(

WEDNESDAY: Derek finished up his final and got things pretty much squared away for next quarter while the girls and I packed up for spring break vacation and played outside. That evening we went and picked up a treadmill for me so I can hopefully get my weight loss program back on track. I'll start posting on my Weight Loss Journey Blog once we get back from spring break. On our way back from picking that up we stopped at a wood shop to get some wood so Derek can finish up our new kitchen table. I got some pretty cute pics of Allie while we were there.




THURSDAY: We're off to Indy to watch the Purdue game with Uncle Buddy. Allie had a lot of fun with Bella and Priscilla....AND PURDUE WON!! GO BOILERS! Then Bryan dropped us off at the airport and we were off to Idaho to visit Grandma and Grandpa!!!!! (the flight wasn't too bad and the girls were really good)


FRIDAY: We're in Idaho now and Allie was so excited to see Damaw and Dapaw (that's how she says Grandma and Grandpa). She will not leave Grandma's side! Their house is very nice...it's the first time we've been out here since they moved. We spent most of the day in town yesterday.........we took Allie to the dr for a little potty problem. It seems like every time we go somewhere something happens with one of the girls and we have to deal with Tricare and get them into a dr. Ugh, it's a pain........but hopefully Allie will heal up okay. Derek and I are quite worried about her. She does seem to be doing better today(saturday) though.
We ate dinner at Golden Corral and Avery ate chopped up green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and bread! She also had a mashed up banana for breakfast! What a big girl.

Avery ~ 7 months

Well, Avery is now 7 months. Not a whole lot has changed in the last month. She's still a happy little girl. She can roll over front to back and back to front now.....sits up pretty much on her own, is eating cereal and just started eating veggies (see video). Her sleeping habits could be improved....it's mainly my fault though. I go running to her every time she cries because I just can't stand to see her sad. I'm going to have to start letting her cry it out because I haven't had a good night's rest in I don't know how long. That's about it!

The DR is IN!!!

You mean, I actually WIN?

This can't be right

Have you checked your sight?

I tell you sincerely,

said the girl on the phone,

I read it quite clearly.

Brooke Huber it said

I tell you I READ

So come on in

and pick up your WIN

Six books will be yours

Not twos, threes or fours

SIX,

I say,

SIX

Books you will read

I do love THE DR.... indeed, Indeed, INDEED!

How awesome is that?! I couldn't believe it when we got the call. I really NEVER win anything. Speaking of Dr Seuss....I don't know who wrote this.....but I thought it would be fun to share because I think it's quite cute. It goes along to the book, Horton Hatches An Egg. It's fitting for me because I was just called into the Primary at church......teaching little 4 and 5 year olds. Here it is:

One day our dear heroine was in the church walking, When
she chanced by some sisters out in the hall talking.

"Hello!" called the Primary President, smiling her best.
"There's something to do, this is no time to rest. Would you
teach the sunbeams? They're so cute and so sweet that chair
up in front, on the end is your seat."


"Me teach your class? Why that doesn't make sense. The
chairs are so small and I'm so immense!"

"Tut, tut" answered the President. "I know you're not small
but I'm sure you can do it, no trouble at all. Just talk to them
softly. You're gentle and kind you'll be a good teacher. I
know you won't mind."

"Very well, " said the teacher. "Yes, I will take it. I'll teach
your small class and a good group I'll make it. I'll stay and be
faithful. I mean what I say."
"Oh, thank you dear teacher," and the president went away.

So that teacher taught primary on that very day and she taught
all that autumn. Soon the leaves blew away. And then came the winter,
the ice and the snow, but that teacher was faithful
every week she would go!
She caught a bad cold, but she said with a sneeze,
"I'll stay with this class and I won't let them freeze!"
I meant what I said
And I said what I meant
This teacher's committed
One hundred per cent!

So that teacher stayed there the whole winter through
And then came the springtime with troubles anew!
Her friends were not with her, they all were away
In Relief Society and Sunday School, where
she wanted to stay.

But she stayed with her class and continued to say:
"I meant what I said
And I said what I meant
This teacher's committed
One hundred per cent!"

Then one day the children, with big smiles and pink cheeks.
The children she'd sat with for fifty-one weeks.
The children she had taught so long and so well.
Hugged her and thanked her! What more can I tell?

Her friends all came running, "What's all this about....?
They looked! And they stared with their eyes popping out!
They cheered and they cheered and they cheered more and more
They'd never seen anything like it before!
"My goodness! My gracious!" They shouted. "Alas!"
It's something special!
A GREAT Primary class!!!

And it should be, it should be, it should be like that!
Because our teacher was faithful! She sat and she sat!

She meant what she said
And she said what she meant.....
And she went home happy,

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!

Bowling, Hiking, DST

We had a fun filled weekend! Friday started out with bowling. We went with our friends and had a great time. Allie and Adeline are so cute...after they would bowl they would run to give each other a high five! They are becoming best buds! Allie asks to play with her EVERY day.
I can't watch!

Look, it's a STRIKE!!!!

Saturday turned out to be a gorgeous day so we got up and went hiking at John Bryan State Park, which is only 10 minutes from our house. We planned our route and headed out not knowing that it would turn out to be a 2 1/2 hour hike. It was fun though and a pretty good workout. Allie was ready to be done and Avery fell asleep about 3/4 of the way through. They never complained though!! Derek is pretty excited about this park. We found tons of rock climbing areas while we were there. He's already planning our next trip out there. We already have the harnesses, gri gri and rope so we're pretty much set! After hiking we headed to a very busy Chipotle for our free burrito. Then yesterday, daylight savings time started. Yes, we forgot all about it. So, we strolled into church 10 mintues early........or so we thought. Really we were 50 minutes late! Our whole day was so thrown off.....but Avery has slept the best she has ever slept last night, so that was good.

Tum On.....We Want Spring

Earlier this week the girls and I went to the library. Allie loves it there! They have little tables and chairs that are just her size with lots of fun puzzles to put together. Of course, she loves to pick out a few books to read and take home along with a movie of her choice (usually something with princesses). This time she even used the computer while we were there....playing a Sesame Street shapes and colors game (the little mouse and headphones are soooo cute!) She was a pro at the game, but still needs help controlling the mouse. We'll get her computer hooked up one of these days and then she'll get better at it. Anyway, while she was playing the game another little girl came up to the table behind us and started putting the puzzles together so Allie lost interest in the computer and wanted to put puzzles together again. She went right up to her and started up a little conversation.....it was sooo cute! At one point she said, "Do you have a Daddy?" I don't know what made her say that! Maybe because she was with her Grandma and didn't see her Dad. Anyway the girl said yes and then asked Allie if she had a Daddy and she said, "No, he's at school." I could't help but laugh.......the little girl thought that she didn't have a Daddy then!

The weather is starting to get nice out again. Yay! It's about time. I can't wait until it's a constant thing and we can get out of the house more. I'm really excited to be able to enjoy this spring and summer. There is so much to do around here. It should be a blast! So today it's in the low 60's....a little windy, but not too bad. I took the girls to a really cool playground that I stumbled upon while I was trying to find my way out of a different exit on base (yes, I got lost). This playground is so cool! I remembered some realtor telling us about a playground by the hospital but I never saw it before and I've been to the hospital MANY times. Well, I would say it's more by the housing rather than the hospital, but at any rate, I found it and I know Allie was super excited that I did. She LOVED it and didn't want to leave. I actually loved it too......I was envisioning some sweet obstacle courses!



We had the whole playground to ourselves for a while and then a few more kids eventually showed up. I noticed Allie observing them and while she was swinging. I knew it was a matter of time before she would ask to get down so she could go follow them around. She finally did and I watched from a short distance.......hearing her start the conversations and then saying, "Tum on, let's go." I was very impressed especially with how shy I am. I don't want her to be like that. I know she usually trys to take charge of her younger friends, but these kids were definitely older than her and they did play with her.

Anyway, lots of fun! Avery enjoyed being outside too! Come on SPRING!!!!!
On a side note, Avery is sitting up by herself pretty well now. Not to the point where we can really leave her though....she's still pretty wobbly. But she's doing great!!

She did it!!

Hooray for Avery! She rolled over last night (back to front). I just knew it would be any day......of course the day that she went to the Dr and he was a little worried that she hadn't done it yet. I just had to share the news! She hasn't done it yet today. She's really cranky :( She was up at 5 this morning and didn't go back to sleep. She's only napped for about 30 minutes today. Hopefully she's not getting worse!