A day out with Thomas the Train

Last weekend, we went to Grapevine and rode Thomas the Train. We had a really fun day! James got a James train tattoo, ate rainbow colored popcorn, jumped in a Thomas bounce house, and played in a giant sandbox. Audrey tagged along as little sisters do, and had a little fun too.

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful and peaceful Easter this year, and we could not have asked for a better day to celebrate the rising of Jesus Christ!

The kids came into the kitchen for breakfast and found their Easter baskets on the kitchen table. The Easter Bunny brought them each a bunny cup and some chocolate. James got some new dinosaurs, and Audrey got some Legos that you can build cupcakes and cakes with.



After breakfast, we headed to church for a wonderful service and sermon on Jesus' resurrection from the Gospel of Mark.

After church, we headed home, and the kids hunted for eggs in the backyard. James was so excited to find as many eggs as he could, while Audrey was pretty content just holding onto the first one she found. She was way more interested in eating what was inside (gummy lifesavers) and didn't quite grasp that there were more eggs to find.




The egg hunt was followed by a 4 hour nap (yes, FOUR hours!) by both children. During their nap, there was a huge rain storm, so mama and dada listened to the rain for a bit, and then napped themselves. Once everyone was awake, we had a delicious dinner of lamb chops, green beans, and roasted potatoes followed by a very yummy strawberry pie.

Happy Easter!

Audrey's 1st birthday!

We decided to keep Audrey's birthday simple, and not have a big party. Instead we spent a quiet day together as a family. No party did not mean we did not celebrate our sweet girl... I made a teddy bear cake to look like Audrey's favorite bear, we bought her balloons and hung up a "Happy Birthday" sign in the kitchen, and Audrey had some fun gifts to open!

The cake

The present

The birthday girl


And her big brother

Cake time




Playing with new toys



We had such a fun day celebrating our sweet little girl! Audrey has been such a joy to be a parent to, and we are so blessed that she is part of our family. She is such a happy, tenacious, and lovable girl! Happy 1st birthday, Sweet Pea! We love you!

New Year's Eve

After Christmas, My Grandma (on my dad's side) came to visit from Pensacola, Florida. She spent some of her time at our house, and some at my sister's house. We really enjoyed her visit greatly, and we are so grateful she was willing and able to make the trip. We haven't really traveled at all since Audrey was born because just the idea of packing and venturing far from home with two little ones is overwhelming. So, Grandma came to us and got to meet Audrey. James didn't remember her from when he was a baby, but he warmed right up (James doesn't usually have a problem with this), and had so much fun!

One of the highlights of Grandma's visit was New Year's Eve. We went over to my sister's house (Aunt Karyn) and spent the evening with her family as well as my brother (Uncle Robert) and his daughter, Jolie. All the cousins had so much fun! We ate a delicious brisket that Uncle David made, played Just Dance for Kids on the Wii, played pool, drank mimosas (well, us girls did), and enjoyed each other's company.

James and Audrey playing on Bella's new bike. There might be one of these in our kids' future.

Just us girls (the mimosa drinkers)!

Audrey is trying to kiss the dog!?!

A little dancing (if you can call it that).


Grandma with all her great grandchildren from her oldest son. And yes, Audrey is crying. It was time for her to go to bed.

Audrey is walking!

Audrey took her first steps about a week before she turned 10 months old. She took about 4-5 steps, and then for a couple weeks, didn't really take any steps. And now, just before she is 11 months old, she is walking more than she is crawling. Our baby girl is quickly turning into a toddler!

Something we've noticed about Audrey, is that she is persistent. For each motor milestone that she has achieved, she has intentionally practiced over and over again. It's really fun to watch. You can see the determination in her face. The most notable was when she was learning to stand without holding on. Every chance she had, she would crawl into James room, pull herself up to standing by his bed (it's only as high as a mattress on the floor), and then let go. She'd stand for a few seconds and then lean back on the bed. Then she'd let go again. Over and over.

I haven't really blogged much about what kind of baby Audrey is, so here goes...

If we were to describe Audrey in one word, it'd be: tenacious. Audrey knows what she wants, and will do pretty much anything to get it. She will tackle her brother, and take cups and food right out of his hands. She will cry endlessly (because we're trying to be strong and not give in to to her) if we take something away from her or don't let her have what she's got her eye on. She is not easily distracted. Hopefully this trait will be a positive for her later in life.

Audrey's monster name is Audzilla. She will destroy anything that gets in her way. Or just because she feels like it. James' monster name was Jamesenstein because when he was first walking, he held his arms straight out. We don't really think our kids are monsters. Well, maybe sometimes.

Audrey is an incredible eater. She will eat pretty much anything we give her, and she'll eat a lot of it! I can't even think of one thing she doesn't like.

She is still nursing, but we're down to 3 feedings a day, and I'll be weaning her completely as we approach her 1st birthday.

Audrey sleeps from 7 pm until 6 or 7 am. She goes to bed very easily at night, and doesn't need a thing until the morning. She naps 2 times a day for about 1 1/2 hours. It hasn't always been easy to get her down for her naps, but it seems to be getting easier and easier lately.

The only three sounds she's making at this time are dadada, gagaga, and very loud and happy shrieks.

It's pretty easy to make Audrey smile and laugh. She is very ticklish.

Audrey loves her big brother (and he adores her)! They are interacting more and more everyday. Audrey gets so excited when she sees James in the morning or right after a nap. Their interactions melt my heart on a daily basis.

Well, that's our baby girl in a nutshell!

Christmas Day

We knew James would be excited to open gifts this year, but we didn't expect Audrey to be as enthusiastic as she was. Both kids had so much fun unwrapping all their gifts!










Time to play!



Time to eat!



We had such a wonderful celebration of Jesus' birth! James is starting to understand a little bit of what Christmas time is all about. He really enjoyed all the preparation for Jesus' birthday, especially his Advent calendar and the birthday cake. Next year, Audrey should be old enough to start getting excited about these things too. We are so blessed!

Christmas Eve

On the morning of Christmas Eve, James helped us make a birthday cake for Jesus. James wanted to use every type of sprinkle we had in the kitchen to decorate the cake. It was really fun to see James so excited for Jesus' birthday party the next day. This is definitely something we will keep doing every Christmas with the kids. James is pretending to eat the cake (in case you can't tell)...

We met Aunt Karyn, Uncle David, Tristan and Isabella for lunch at Fortuna, our favorite Italian restaurant. The kids exchanged gifts and had fun eating and playing together. We were having so much fun that I forgot to take any pictures. We plan to make Christmas Eve lunch together a yearly event so hopefully I can get some pictures next year!

Nana arrived in time to attend the family Christmas Eve service at church. Every year during this service, there is a live re-enactment of the nativity scene. Much to our surprise, Audrey was mesmerized. I don't know if she's ever sat so still! James seemed to enjoy the service as well, but he was a little more wiggly.