Busy day

Isabel was only here for one full day, so we had to pack a lot in! The girls had a great time and Ben enjoyed having another girl to dote over him. Here are some highlights from yesterday.

Isabel giving the trampoline a good beating.

Ben enjoying the extra entertainment.

The girls scooting around bright and early.

Strategizing on which part of the fountain would be the most fun. Most fun for Audrey = the most wet; Most fun for Isabel = least wet.

Squealllllllll, giggle, squeallll.

Struttin', socializing, and soakin' up the sun. 

(Yes, he does have sunscreen on.)

Over the river and through the woods...

...to Grandma's house she goes! Grandma, Papa, and cousin Isabel are coming to town today to stay a day and then take Audrey back with them to FL for a WEEK. What in the world will we do without her?

Blog alert

There is a new format on the blog....make sure you click "READ MORE" after 2 or 3 pictures and you will see the rest of the post. For some reason it only lets you see a few before you have to "click."

Playing catchup

I know, I've been a bit of a back-logged blogger lately. It's been busy, but I will attempt to redeem myself now. Here are some recent pictures of various and assorted events.

We went to a Fairy Forest birthday party recently and Ben got to be a tag along. The fun for him was being able to pick up sticks and stones and throw them. I am learning that boys like to THROW things. All things. All the time. 

Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails...and sticks. That's what little boys are made of.

Separate beds

Despite the fact that Tiana and Prince Naveen got married at least a dozen times in our living room today, they were not allowed to sleep in the same bed. The reason; "because he smells like a boy." I can't argue with that. Tiana co-slept with their newborn. She wasn't even showing at the wedding....

Visit to the GSO

It's been forever since I visited Greensboro. It seems that one kid is always sick, and then there are pre-school conflicts, and about 100 other things to coordinate. I finally made it though and met baby Lochlan! Audrey had a blast reconnecting with her best bud, Rory, and Ben was thoroughly entertained by the brood of girls. Lochlan was relatively unimpressed and slept most of the time. I don't blame her.

14 months

Ben will be 14 months old tomorrow. I can hardly believe it! He is truly a delight, but poor little man has been cursed with some sort of nasty fever 11 times in these past 14 months. We are pretty sure that he either has Cyclical Neutropenia or Periodic Fever Syndrome. Neither one is an awful diagnosis, but it sure breaks my heart to hold a shivering baby as his fever climbs higher and higher.

Kicked back

If only I had the opportunity to get this comfy. Audrey enjoyed a popsicle on a balmy afternoon on the back porch. I would have done the same thing, only I was cleaning up the popsicle drips and chasing around a half naked baby. Maybe tomorrow it will be my turn...

Mommy's Barbie Jeep

I had to get a rental car for a few days this week while my car was being worked on. Lucky me, I got a BMW 7 series for my rental, and boy did we ride in style for a few days. Oh, sorry. I was daydreaming. Of course I got one of the highest quality cars available today; a Kia "Soul." Without rambling on about this too much, I'll move straight to the quote of the week that was inspired by the "Soul,"

"Mommy, this is a really small rental car. It's like a Barbie Jeep, but with a top on it."
-Audrey


If only it didn't have a top, then maybe the stale sweat-socks smell would have not been so strong.

Fun in the sun....

...more fun in the water. Ben loves to splash around in the pool and his sister is more than happy to provide splish-splashing entertainment for him as well. Here we are, the pride of the neighborhood with our inflatable pool on the sidewalk. What can I say, I am from the Redneck Riviera.

New View

We rearranged things (the TV used to be over the fireplace) and had a home improvement weekend. The project that took the longest was the one that seemed the easiest at the start. I am so happy to be able to see this beautiful view every time I come down the stairs.

Qoute of the day

"Dear God, please don't let Ben get a fever, ever, ever again. Amen."
-Audrey

A day in the life....

There is never a dull moment here. Even when Audrey is at school and Ben is asleep, there is always something to do. Here are some pictures from one of our days this week.

A mischief maker any way you slice it. Little man's fine motor skills are too good and he got himself into a vat of diaper cream. Bath time is...now.

If I can't have diaper cream, than I'll buy my own with your credit cards...

 I'm just happy being me with my new puppy that I feed, walk, sleep with, and pet, like I don't have enough responsibilities with two real dogs...

What should I get in to next....

Cancer: the relentless enemy

My Uncle Wendell, my mom's twin brother, lost his brief and furious fight with caner this evening. He was 64 years old, a country music loving, two-stepping, horse-riding, family man who loved God, his family, and his friends. He will be missed the most by his wife, Sue, and his children, Kristine, Laura, and Scott, and grandchildren Cole, Logan, and Blaine. I remember most fondly Uncle Wendell teaching me how to Two Step at my wedding.

Playing catchup

I know, I know, I'm a bit behind in this blogging thing. I'll spare you all the messy details of my disruption, but here is what you are looking for.....pictures of my beautiful babes.

We had the extreme pleasure of having a Family Day with Jeff's company at the National Whitewater Center. It is AMAZING, if you ever are in town, it's a must-do. My new blogger update is giving me a fit, so I'll have to put all the info in this one paragraph. We had so many choices at the Whitewater center, and we all had a great time. I did the Climb and Zip and it was harder than it looked....video to come....Audrey did the Ropes course, and she is the BRAVEST little girl around!!! Mr. Kevin was the bomb and helped Audrey through it. They both deserve medals for the completion of this task. Kevin has climbed Mt. Ranier, and he did not answer me when I asked him which was harder; talking Audrey through the ropes course, or climbing Mt. Ranier...You can see below that while she was brave to do the ropes course, she was happy as heck to be in Daddy's arms on the ground!!! She rallied and did the mini rock walls. Of course, she had already mastered the big rock walls, so this was cake! A good time was had by all.

Shark attack!

Some days just don't turn out like you planned. Ariel was just taking a leisurely swim in the kiddie pool and CHOMP! It wasn't a shark, but if it takes you more than 3 guesses to figure out who is responsible for Ariel's demise, then you must be new to this blog.

Quote of the day

"I need a girls night."
-Audrey

We like Wedgits!

Audrey got Wedgits for birthday and Christmas last year, and they are pretty darn cool. Kudos to the Wedgit people for inventing something that spans multiple age groups. The little ones and the big ones are challenged and fascintated by the teetering towers of the wonderful Wedgits.

Fever Free

Ben is perfection today. Cross your fingers for no more fever and mysterious illnesses. Blogs to come....

bloggity blog

Ben is sick. Not sure, but working on it. Blogging will be delayed until he's better.