This past week

It's been kind of a slow week for us. We caught the stomach bug last week for the FOURTH time since December...yuk! Aidan got it first, then Avery, then we thought we were in the clear but then Daniel and I got it at the same time which is the absolute worst-case scenario! So the kids got to run around the house pretty much unsupervised on Monday while the two of us were rag dolls on the couch all day. I did about sixty loads of laundry the day after we all recovered, cleaned everything in sight, and bleached every single plastic toy in our house. I'm pretty good to lysol them now and then and run a few often-handled ones through the dishwasher, but I went into full-on OCD mode this time. Here's Aidan catching a nap the day after he was sick. (Such a rare sight these days as he has pretty much given up his nap. I'm still in denial and he still has to hang out in his room for some quiet time...I admit I need it more than he does!).

Anyway, here's some of what else has been going on with us. Today we got to hang out with Papi and Grammy for a little bit...they had been vacationing in Seattle/Canada, and had a long layover at DFW Airport on their way back to Miami. We went to Grapevine Mills Mall and let the kids play in this neat play area, then got some ice cream. I flaked on the picture-taking today, so this is all I got. We'll see Papi and Grammy again in just a few weeks for our annual West Texas Road Trip!

I took the kids to meet their teachers for Wee School, which starts September 1st (Aidan goes twice a week but Avery will go once a week so she doesn't start until the 3rd). We also met the Tooth Fairy at our Mom's Club meeting this week...



...and toured a local fire station a couple weeks ago:

Shaving Cream Fun

Craft time at Kaelyn's house!

Rhett & Wyatt's Birthday

This past weekend we went to a birthday party for Aidan's friends Rhett and Wyatt. Their mommy Sarah is my BFF from high school and we've had fun watching our kids grow up together! Rhett wanted a Cars theme, and Wyatt wanted a Spiderman theme...so Sarah did both :) Aidan and Avery had fun bouncing in the bounce house, eating cake, and playing with their friends!

Baby Reese

Please keep this sweet family in your prayers. Katie is the sister of a sorority sister of mine from college. She and her husband Jason welcomed their baby girl Reese into the world on Tuesday, but she was not breathing and pronounced brain dead. They took her off of life support last night and she went to be with the Lord. I cannot begin to imagine what they have gone through and it makes me so appreciative of my two beautiful miracles that I get to enjoy every day. I found out today that Reese's parents donated her heart to a baby who needed it. What incredible parents to give this amazing gift after enduring such a heartbreaking loss! Please join me in praying for peace and comfort for Katie, Jason, their little boy Zach, and their family.

The Rowe Family

Cunningham Reunion

We went to Comanche for the annual Cunningham Reunion this past weekend! It started with Daniel's great-great-great grandmother (I think) and all of her siblings, and their descendants meet every year. So it's a huge group and this was the 120th reunion! It was outdoors so of course it was very hot, but we had a great time!!

Group shot of our family (Daniel's uncle, aunt, cousins, and new cousin-in-law came from North Carolina and Boston):

Avery loved pointing at the ponies every time she saw them:

Wagon ride:

Aidan and Cookie doing the 3-legged race!!

Aidan shared his toys with some distant cousins:

Sage, Avery, and Aidan:

Dinner Time!

Aidan working on his craft (yes, I know he is wearing a Karate Kid-like headband...Daniel does the same when he works out, and thought it would help keep sweat off Aidan's face):

Aidan's Frame (I helped a little):

Aidan, Lindsay, Cody, Avery, Daniel:

Friday & Saturday

On Friday our friend Kaelyn came over while her parents went out. Daniel was at a promotion party with his co-workers so this was a solo job for me! I decided to toss them in the bath...Aidan and Avery usually get showers so this was a fun treat for them.


On Saturday morning Aidan and I went to a birthday party for his friend Jake. The kids had cake and ice cream, dug in the sandbox for dinosaurs, slid down the slide into the baby pools, and played with water balloons. After the party our family headed to Comanche for the 120th annual Cunningham reunion! Pics from that to come...

Good Job Daddy!

Daniel was just promoted from Manager to Director at PWC and we are so proud of him! He has worked very hard and this is very well-deserved. His office buddies surprised him by decorating his office, luau-style. I love what they did to his pictures of Aidan and Avery! I'm so happy one of his co-workers thought to email these to me, because otherwise you know I would have never seen them :)

The Lip

Avery has always had a flair for the dramatics, and this is what we call The Lip. She brings it out in times of horrible injustice, such as being told no when she's about to do a death-defying stunt, or being denied chips when she has not touched a bite of her sandwich (you heard right, she is starting to turn down food once in a while!). I know I'm a mean mommy for taking a picture and posting it but I can't help myself.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Yesterday we went with a ton of mom's club friends to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus! First we went down to the arena floor "preshow" which had jugglers and clowns for the kids to watch up close. I had hoped there would be more animals for the kids to see but oh well. When the show started, Aidan was very interested the whole time, but Avery only stayed still enough to watch big stuff. Daniel and I spent most of the time feeding her snacks and passing her back and forth. But she loved the big intro, the horses, and the trapeze act!