Avery's Boo-Boo

We joined the SIUE pool this summer and have been having lots of fun. More fun for the kids really and a lot of work for this Momma. Avery is VERY mobile, so she's walking around the pool in her floatie. The big kids just need reminding that it is not their own personal pool and they need to be respectful of others' toys and space. Braden enjoys going to the "big pool", but Kendall is happy playing in the "baby pool." Occasionally, an adult friend (Jaycie or Heather) will take the older kids to the big pool while they wear life jackets. One of these times, I was watching Emilia while the big kids went swimming. I was handing out snacks and drinks, but Avery was impatient and wanted to try out her acrobatic skills. She dove right off the beach chair and landed forehead first on the concrete. Needless to say, I've learned my lesson and she is no longer allowed to sit in that kind of chair anymore! She was fine a moment later, but her boo-boo did look pretty bad. For the next week everyone asked how she hurt herself. Nothing makes you feel like a bad Mommy more than an obvious head wound!

Sporting her giant bandage.

Still happy and smiley!

Thoughtful...

Running away as I try to snap a picture to document her injury.

"OK...hurry up and take it already!"

Biscuit Pizzas...YUM!

Dustin was out of town one night and I decided we were going to make biscuit pizzas.  It turned out to be a fun and very tasty idea!  I let the kids smash their biscuit dough and then put on the sauce, cheese, and pepperoni themselves.  I made sure I knew which one was theirs when I baked them so that they kept their germs to themselves :)  On my own pizzas, I sprinkled a little garlic on the dough before adding the sauce.  If I'd have had mushrooms, that would have been a nice addition, but alas there were none in my bare refrigerator.  We baked them and had a delicious dinner about 30 minutes later.  I'd suggest this to anyone looking for a fun family cooking idea!

Getting ready to smush some dough.  I guess Braden needed to show off how strong he is before he started.

Here comes the sauce!

They added pepperoni (after they ate about half of the package).

Baking in process...

Kendall's masterpiece!!

Avery enjoyed some ravioli since I'm not sure she's ready for pizza just yet...soon though!

Home Haircut!

Braden's hair is pretty easy to cut, but I just don't enjoy doing it. Lately, he's been going with Dustin, but I very much dislike having to pay $13 for someone to buzz his hair. I decided to do it myself (trust me, I've done it before and he survived...back in the early days, I used to cut Dustin's also!) but this time I let him have a little mohawk before I cut it off completely. He was a good boy and we were done in about 15 minutes. Not bad if I do say so myself :)

I think this is a smile or...

maybe his Mr. T impersonation!

Avery at 10 months...

Hard to believe it, but Avery has reached many milestones in this last month!  I love that she is so busy, but boy does she make this Momma tired!!  Here are some of her accomplishements:

*WALKS and/or RUNS everywhere!

*eats anything she can get her hands on. Her favorite "non foods" are books and toilet paper...hmmm...should I be worried??

*Just got done with antibiotics for her 5th ear infection

*takes juice from a sippy cup

*sleeps all night and usually takes two 1-hour naps each day

*enjoys watching Baby Einstein movies while Mommy showers in the morning

*Has 6 teeth: 2 on top and 4 on the bottom

*Still says Mama, Dada, and baba

*Loves her "blankie" almost as much as Kendall loves hers!

Love This!

I had some fun taking pictures of my babies this weekend.  I could use a better camera, but I have always loved grabbing my camera from my purse and getting some candid shots.  This day happened to be conducive to picture-taking!

She gets more beautiful every day!

Sleeping chubby cheeks are the best!

Not a serious smile in this guy!

Memorial Day/Family Time

We went to Nicholas and Melissa's house on Monday to visit with Baby Ethan and Mimi and Papa.  We grilled and ate dinner and the kids played outside for a bit.  When it was time to clean up, Mimi decided to slice two of her fingers open with a VERY sharp knife :)  Luckily, they live across the street from the hospital, so Papa didn't have far to drive Mimi to get the 12 stitches in her fingers!!  It was a good visit, but we don't want a repeat of the last part!!

Mimi and Kendall are working out with the Care Bear

Let's get physical!!

Gunkle is preparing the food!

Papa and Avery have a little rest

Kendall blowing some bubbles...hard when it's so windy!

Watching the Cards lose :(

My funny faces

Mimi with 1/2 of her grandkids

Braden holding Baby Ethan

And again...

And again.  He loves him some babies!

Kendall's turn!

Hot Days are Here!

When we got home from church, our neighbors were outstide playing with water guns.  We don't have any of those (thank goodness), but I did dig out our slip-n-slide from last summer.  Braden was raring to go, but Kendall was a bit more hesitant.  They played outside before and after lunch.  It was fantastic to see them playing nice together.  I imagine there will be plenty more of this as the summer goes on!

Kendall's version of "sliding" was mostly crawling down the slide

My beach babies

This is the stump where our only shade tree left in our yard USED to be.  The storm last Monday knocked it down.  You don't know how much you like a tree until it's gone :)

Water table fun!!

This is the last time...sadly there is a hole and a crack in the bottom which renders the table useless :(