Aidan the Tricycle-Riding Cowboy

Aidan kicked off his fun-filled birthday weekend with a tricycle from Papi (and a matching helmet from Gamma) and his first pair of cowboy boots from Great-Pa! They were a big hit. This weekend was All About Aidan but Avery got plenty of attention from her doting family, and loved impressing everyone with her sitting-up ability and her sweet smile!

Aidan at 2 Years!

Here are some of Aidan's portraits from today!

Avery at Six Months!

Grammy is in town, and she came with me to get Avery's 6-month and Aidan's 2-year portraits done today. Here are some of my favorite ones of Avery! The ones of both kids together didn't come out that great. It was too hard to get them to both smile at once :)

Six Months Old!

Avery is now half a year old! She had her check-up yesterday and weighed in at 15 lbs. 3 oz., and is 26" long. Aidan has been a little under the weather with the croup, and I have come down with a cough and a sore throat. But hopefully it will all pass by Aidan's birthday party next weekend!

Doo-doo flashlight

We bought a potty for Aidan but it has yet to actually be "used." I have him sit on it once or twice a day between diaper changes but right now he's too interested in the potty itself, and not actually what it's used for, if that makes sense. Hopefully soon he'll find out that music plays if you tinkle! Back in the day, my parents gave my brother a "doo-doo flashlight" he could play with in the dark only when he was going #2 so we plan to give that a whirl too. Aidan is quite the singer and loves to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Jesus Loves Me." We've been working on manners and a new favorite phrase is "Thank you very much." He is learning the art of apologizing, and often says "Sorry Mommy/Daddy/Sissy" when he does something wrong. Sometimes it's hard to put him in time-out even when he deserves it, because he's so sweet!

Daddy's Girl

Avery spent some time bonding with Daddy this weekend. She's doing great and has been rolling from back to tummy, although I have a hard time catching it on video. She isn't quite sitting up on her own yet but she loves using the boppy pillow, Johnny Jump-Up, Bumbo seat, exersaucer, or a lap to see what's going on. She is smiley and delightful as long as someone is paying attention to her. She can be quite a diva otherwise! Getting her to eat cereal has been a challenge. She is not a fan! Maybe I now have a picky child as payback for being a picky child myself :)

More Zoo Pics

Here are some more pictures from our zoo outing yesterday. Aidan had tons of fun with his friends Kaelyn, Taylor N., Jake, Taylor B., Megan, Erika, and others. He also loved pointing out a bunch of the animals. I love the picture of Daniel pushing the double stroller and carrying Avery in the bjorn. Super Dad!

What a Difference a Year Makes!

We went to the zoo yesterday with Daddy and several of our Mom's Club friends. My friend Tracey and I took some pictures of Aidan and Kaelyn next to the same fish tank they posed next to about a year ago. It's hard to believe how much they've changed!

Avery's First Cereal

Avery finally tried some rice cereal yesterday. She spit most of it back up but seemed excited to be trying something new!

Water Fun

We got bored one afternoon so I let Aidan play with some water and a bunch of kitchen stuff. It kept him entertained, despite the fact he got soaking wet!

Calgon, take me away!

Avery's favorite time of day is bathtime! She likes to wind down after a busy day of sleeping, eating, and observing.

Hoppy Easter!

After church this morning we headed to Uncle Cody and Aunt Amy's for lunch. Aunt Lindsay and Clifton also came over. After lunch we all went to our house for the kids' naptime, and they both slept for about two hours at the same time which is so rare and awesome! So we got to enjoy some kid-free relaxing and game-playing. The Easter bunny paid a visit during naptime so Aidan had a bunch of eggs to find when he woke up. He also found a few for Avery.

Easter Bunny - Minus Aidan

Aunt Amy and I took the kids to see the Easter Bunny today and Aidan did NOT want any part of it. In his defense, this Easter Bunny is a little crazy-looking. I guess it's good because Avery has her very own "First Easter" picture just like Aidan did last year.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

From our two good luck charms!

Corinne

We have received some sad news today that our friend Corinne, who is a little older than Aidan, was diagnosed with acute leukemia. Corinne's mommy Jen is a friend of mine from college. They live in Houston and are at MD Anderson Hospital where they will be undergoing treatment. Here is a website that has been set up with information and updates. Please pray for Corinne, her parents, and the doctors and nurses that will be treating her. We love you Corinne!

Corinne's Website

P is for Papi

Papi came to stay with us on Monday night between business trips, and what Papi visit is complete without mexican food and guacamole dipping?

Our pathetic excuse for snow...

We've had a winter blast in Texas but I guess most of the snow fell north of us. Here is Aidan walking around in what we did get. We were only outside for about two minutes before we got bored and came back inside. It's already completely melted except a little in the shade. Lame!

Aidan's School Picture

Here is Aidan's latest school picture. I remember having a crayon backdrop once when I was in school. Some things never go out of style ;) Aidan's doing great and can count to ten (I have a video but I'm having trouble uploading it)! He is starting to test his boundaries with us a little and has become familiar with his time-out spot in the dining room. Despite that, he continues to be a sweet boy and makes us laugh every day!

The Brooks Family

On Saturday we drove from Crawford to Waco to hang out with the Brooks family, including new addition Baby James. He is 5 days younger than Avery (they were SUPPOSED to have the same birthday, but if you remember, Avery was a little impatient!). Jenna and I went to the Spirit Shop to get some new Baylor shirts for the kids and then we tried our best to take a few pictures. We had a lot of fun with them. They are moving from Austin to Waco soon so we are so excited they will be living closer!

Fun in Crawford

The kids and I went to Daddy's office on Friday, and from there we went to Crawford to see Grandpa, Nanna, and Jacob. There is a lot of room to run and play so Aidan had a great time. He got to see Kathleen's horses up close and play with Bogey and Pippen the dogs. He is such an outdoor boy - he plays very hard, then sleeps very hard :) Avery loved her first trip out of town and took a nice nap on Grandpa's chest this morning.