Warning--The Following Pics not for Young Kids

Ok. I had to put these pics up. Both were taken when the kids were each 4 months old. Apparently, Connor is going to be in time out a lot and Charlotte is going to be Queen of the Tractor Pull (No offense to anyone into that kind of stuff). Scroll down...........

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

Our neighborhood does a Easter egg hunt every year.





Charlotte's Easter outfit--

5 Kids in a Car for 9 Hours Each Way

Yes, that's right folks. My brother and I went to South Texas to visit our parents and took all the grandkids with us (Aaron was working and Rebekah was in Israel). Plus, Connor, Charlotte and I drove 3 hours the previous day just to get to Abilene. Despite the extreme wind they always seem to have down there we had a great time. Our course it was a little stressful too--try having 9 people in a 40' RV for 4 days. My bro and I actually stayed in an onsite hotel with the two babies but the 3 older kids slept in the RV with Gramma and Grampa.

We went to the beach one day, had a "birthday party" for everyone another day (complete with a pinata, confetti filled eggs, water balloons, and cupcakes. The kids swam a lot, fed horses, and enjoyed each other's company (when they weren't arguing!).

I asked if they were building a sandcastle and they said "No, a chair". It's so obvious. Not sure why I didn't see it on my own.

The twins--need I say more.

Charlotte in her beach attire.

Oh, Natalie! That is so gross. Why do you have to pick your nose!

Getting ready for the birthday party.

I love this picture because you can see the moment of impact!

My dad getting what he thinks is a confetti egg broken over his head.

I must attest to the fact that my brother did an awesome job. He had three kids for 2 weeks and almost made it without losing his mind--haha! He even had the house spotless when Rebekah came home despite the fact that the contractor working in the bathroom had spread sheetrock dust all over the house (seriously, we opened the front door after a 9 hour drive and EVERYTHING was covered in thick dust). Go Kevin! He is now taking babysitting appts. for those interested.

This is a store in Donna. I am really struggling to understand how this is a good idea.

And finally, it has become tradition that I let Natalie do my hair and makeup. She has gotten quite good but this picture is what happens when you let the two 4 year olds do it. Lily kept laughing "I gave you a beard!". Actually this is mild compared to previous beauty sessions.

Visit from The Baileys

Connor has met his future wife--Addison Kate Bailey (read more below).





We had a fun visit from my friend Tracy, husband Kevin, and kids Jack, Drew and Addison. For those of you who don't know they were our next door neighbors when we first moved in but we really didn't know each other that well. Neither of us had kids and everyone worked. We became friends after she moved to Atlanta and she has come back to visit a couple of times a year since then. This time Kevin was running a half marathon so the whole family came to cheer him on.

Connor and Drew are the same age and Jack is the same age as our neighbor Cael who lives behind us. Little Addy just turned one and liked to look at Charlotte. We always have so much fun when they are here. The picture below is taken at Babe's Chicken House (a local must if you are visiting). Connor is crying because he just caught his finger in the chair.

I Love You, Man!

Connor's best friend is Zander. They are two peas in a pod or maybe two crazies in a ....well whatever, you get the point. We took Zander home from soccer last Thursday and the two boys were sitting the the back seat and Zander says, "Connor, I love you" and Connor replies "I love you, Zan Man." I'm telling you the love fest never stops with these two. So tonight I hear Connor crying in his bed. When I went in there he said, "Mom, I just can't sleep. I'm very, so, so excited to go to Zander's house tomorrow!" I guess when you are 4 playing at a friends house is like getting to go to Disneyland--and fortunately, a lot cheaper!


In other news, Charlotte went back to the doctor today for her head. I had noticed that her eyes are not equidistant from her nose and I thought her smile looked a little goofy. I figured that was just the way she is but the doctor said it is from her skull growing crooked. Now I know this sounds awful but she measured her head and she said that her neck is much looser and she thought the alignment looked better than last time. So, she said we are doing a good job with her stretching excercises and she'll get checked again in one more month. Apparently babies can get stuck in one position while in the womb and their neck muscles atrophy a little so they come out not being able to look to one side as well which results in them always laying on one side which makes the skull grow weird. And now that I understand that it makes sense because she was head down quite early and it always hurt me in one place to the point of my leg hurting and that was where her head was (I know that was at least two run on sentences in a row--sorry Super Grandma and Grandpa!).

Also, today is my birthday. Aaron is out of town and it didn't occur to me to celebrate early for Connor's sake. When he woke me up this a.m. he said, "Mom, where are the decorations and the cake?". I told him there weren't any. "But, Mom, you have to have a cake!". So after eating a birthday dinner at IHOP (so he could get the funny face pancakes) we went to Target and bought a cake and then came home and decorated. I called our neighbors over to sing Happy Birthday and it turned out quite fun. I guess I've transitioned to that age where your birthday is really for your kids--we won't say what that age is! Haha, I'm 36 and still feel 30 or so. Who cares!

And, finally, what remained of my trees was cut down on Saturday. Here's Aaron getting ready (He looks a little too excited if you ask me).