Mostly Pictures

We went to the Underwoods' cabin on Whidbey last weekend:

This would be one of Austen's "fits." Little does she know that it's the cutest thing ever. ;-)

The attempt at getting all three of them to smile. We knew we were setting ourselves up for failure :)

Somewhere under here are two little monkeys having too much fun:

Travis and Jeff's crabbing success:

Home again, home again...

Terrible Twos Got Nothin' on This

Kaitlyn is giving us a run for our money these days. :) I have heard often that the twos are nothing compared to the threes. Kaitlyn isn't three yet, but I do believe that this may be proven true in our house. We are going through a definite testing stage with her, and learning the power of deep breathing. ;-) Let me tell ya, last summer with an immobile newborn who slept all the time and a toddler was easy-peasy compared to this one. Two very mobile, very independent toddlers is...challenging to say the least. You know what, though? It's still so worth it, and despite those moments when I feel like screaming and crying right along with them, I love being their mommy, and I know that this too shall pass. And, I know for a fact that I will be laughing at this stage in no time.

Poor little Austen has her fifth ear infection in about 6 months, so it's looking like we'll be going to a specialist to discuss possible ear tubes. I certainly am not at all excited about her being put under (gives me heart palpatations just thinking about it!) for a procedure, but we obviously don't want her in constant ear pain either, not to mention constantly taking antibiotics that have to be stronger every time.

Despite all of these infections, Austen is still our sweet, funny little girl, and she is cracking us up constantly. Her personality has been blossoming in these past couple of months. One of my current favorites is when she says "Nigh-Nigh" before naps and bedtime. If you're lucky, she'll lean in for a kiss while she says it. She's saying other new words as well: Belly (while lifting her shirt - she LOVES showing her belly :)), potty (yep :)), socks, shoes (did I mention those already?), and Riley. Oh, and my very, very favorite thing right now is that if I leave the room, she walks around the house calling, "Mama? Mama?" Oh so adorable!!

Austen's other new "trick" is knowing what she's not supposed to have - Mama's phone, Kaitlyn's toys, her shoes that are supposed to be on her feet - and running in the other direction giggling. It's hilarious. If Kaitlyn is building a block tower, Austen may do a drive-by to grab a block and run in the other direction while Kaitlyn screams after her. Definitely one of those moments that make it difficult to parent instead of laugh. :)

We have been busy this summer, as usual. The day before the 4th of  July, we headed to the Underwood's for dinner. Paige and Kaitlyn make quite the little pair, and Austen is able to join in some now, too.

The girls seem to be making a tradition out of ending the night with a dance party. This time it involved Paige's many tutus:

Paige is such a crack-up and joy to be around. What a pretty girl, too! 

Austen joined in the fun, too!

Paigey booty-shakin'

We got to hang out with Baby Jackson again, and he was nice enough to share his pool with the girls.

I was able to snap a few pictures at Kaitlyn's Lil' Kickers soccer class. I'm so glad we signed up for this (thanks for the idea, Gina! That's right, you just got a blog shout-out). It's been a great experience so far for Kaitlyn for following directions, waiting her turn, and various soccer/athletic and thinking skills. We love it!

Stacking cones in a pattern, then using "big kicks" to knock them over:

Sitting on her spot and listening to Coach Dan:

Team cheer!



Another update coming soon. :)

15 Month Stats and Randoms

Austen had her 15 month appointment on Monday:

Height: 31 in. (67%)
Weight: 23 lbs. 15oz. (68%)

When I told the pediatrician that I was surprised she wasn't in larger percentiles, she reminded me that Kaitlyn is a peanut, which makes Austen look like a giant. :) Kaitlyn is still only 26.5 pounds soaking wet, which puts her in the 10th-25th percentile. I have a feeling that Austen will be the "big little sister." ;-)

Here's our Austen-Girl:



Both of the girls love Riley, and he's getting more tolerant (or maybe just finally giving up?) of them borderline tormenting him.

Kaitlyn is becoming a "little girl" before our eyes. She seems more grown up every day with what she says and does. The littlest things like eating her very own banana in the peel (I know, I'm weird), make her seem so old:

It also continues to amaze me how different our daughers are from each other. Not only their appearance, but personality as well. Sure, they have similarities, but I love that they are their own little people, too.
For example, in Kaitlyn's soccer class, she clings to me for the first 10 minutes and doesn't really respond to the "coach" at all. After that first little bit, though, she's off and running and often the first to do things. After that, she checks in every so often. Austen, on the other hand, goes barging into her Little Gym class like she owns the place. Laughing, running, being the first to do things, etc. It's so cute! She does not check in with you, but rather runs away because she thinks it's hilarious. :) She is our wild child, and I think my mom put it best when she pointed out that Austen wears her emotions on her sleeve. So true!

And, because I am so weird, I took a picture of one thing I was looking so forward to this summer: morning coffee at home. I found this mug in the clearance bin at Michael's a few days before school got out. I love roosters, and they remind me of my Grandma Donnie, so I had to have it. I thought it was a dollar (still a steal), but it rang up as $0.44. Wouldn't you know it, I had exactly that much in my coin purse. See, I couldn't have passed it up! One of my favorite times of the day is hanging out with the girls while still in our jammies, sipping coffee while we all slowly wake up.

I am off for the summer, and soooo looking forward to all of these weeks with the girls, as well as just having the freedom to get things done, enjoy my morning coffee (in the perfect mug), stay up a bit later, get together with friends who are also home, etc. Can't complain! :)

Happy Wednesday!

Congrats HP and Wes!

We headed over to Suncadia for the weekend for Heather and Wes's wedding. They planned a beautiful, unique wedding with their own personal touches such as the bride riding in on a horse-drawn carriage, having the guests pose for what will be a priceless picture during the ceremony, red cowboy boots (for the bride!), a porch swing for the adorable ring bearer and flower girls, and much more.

I only got a few pictures.
The ladies:



The guys:







I know others took more pictures, so I may have more to put up later. :) I feel very lucky to have such great friends who are all genuine, fun people. What a great weekend!