Finally....a post!

I don't know why...but I can't get the pictures to move down in the post like I did before!

Sorry to all our blog readers....It has been really interesting around here! I would normally do my posting in the mornings, but the kids were regularly getting up at 5:30, so I wasn't getting it done. And frankly, I'm too beat at night!

The kids are doing absolutely amazing! They have all changed so much, that I'm really not even sure where to begin. So...let's do it alphabetically! Ha!

Aaron:

Like I've said before, Aaron is so dang funny! He is extremely mischievous, in to everything, and most of the time the ring leader. He is very curious, likes to climb, and likes to make his siblings laugh. Aaron is also VERY sweet, caring, and helpful. At night we always change the kids into their pajamas in the living room. Before you can even blink, Aaron has gathered up all the clothes and thrown them over the gate in the hallway. He likes to pass out milk cups, gather juice cups, and it is his job to take Bella outside on a leash.

Aaron is talking so much....I absolutely love it when he says "What Happened?" It is in the sweetest little voice! I usually ask them that when they are crying or upset. Two weeks ago the kids were in the kitchen with me. Aaron opened the pantry, put his hand on his hip, looked at the cabinets, and said "HHMMM..." I looked at him and said, "Where did you learn that?" Taylor and John said I do the same thing all the time! I didn't even realize it!

At their two year visit, Aaron weighed 27 lbs and was 33 1/2 inches tall. He is very stocky in build. He shuffles his feet like an old man, covers his face with his hands when he cries, and loves to stand on your chest. Aaron loves to sing and dance as well. His favorite songs are "Twinkle, Twinkle," "Pat-a-Cake", "Chicken Fried (Zac Brown band), and "All I wanna do" by Sugarland. He pretty much sings/mumbles all the words! Aaron has also caught a ball on many occassions, and he has also hit a pitched ball with a bat many times!

Adam:

Adam is definitely the most verbal! From the minute he wakes up, to the minute he goes to sleep, he is talking. One day he was in John's basket when we did our WalMart shopping. John said that he talked during the entire shopping trip! He likes to name everything he sees, and his speech is so clear! He can count to 10 by himself, attempts most of his ABC song, and can name several letters---T, L, O, S, A....Adam can hit a ball of a tee, and a plastic golf ball with a club like you wouldn't believe!

Adam is very attached to his brother and sister. Since he is usually the first one up, I have to make sure he doesn't walk down the hallway to their bedroom. He will stand at the gate and yell "Aaron P! Sister! Aaron P!" Yes, he calls Aaron, Aaron P. We have always called Aaron that, and Adam does now too. The funniest thing is when they are in the living room playing. Adam may be on one side of the living room, and Aaron on the other. If Adam wants to show Aaron something, he will start yelling "Aaron P!! Aaron P!!" But, he yells everyone else's name too. He is so funny when he does that! We call my mom Mamaw, but Adam calls her "Memaw! Memaw!"

He gets so excited about everything! We love that! In fact, if you show him something new or cool, he will say "Oh, WOW!!" He loves to sneak up on you and scare you....he will bend his knees, take baby steps, and whisper "Sneak, Sneak..." until he scares you! He loves doing it to Avery and Aaron too! He runs very quickly, and still gets that left arm flailing around. He is such a sweet and smart boy...he even pee-d in the potty today!

Adam weighed 27 1/2 pounds and was 34 in tall.

Avery:

Daddy's little princess....she is ALL girl. She loves wearing dresses, insists that you put a bow in her hair every day, and has recently started really caring for her baby doll. She will give her doll baths with a dry washcloth, feed her a bottle, pretend like she's crying and ask "OK?", and she has put the baby in time-out several times! I was at an inservice two weeks ago and Taylor sent me a picture of Avery's baby sitting in the time-out area in the hallway. Avery says "No..No...trouble..time-out, time-out." Of course she tries to put her brothers in time out too, but they don't listen! Avery loves to clean, sweep, and sit by you on the couch.

Avery can have a sweet, little girl voice or a very deep, Demi Moore voice. She growls like a possessed animal, loves her dinosaur books and puzzle, and insists on hand-feeding Alex catfood. She has the deepest laugh that makes your whole body smile when hearing it. Avery has adapted the best to toddler beds, and will fall asleep within minutes of getting into bed. (Just like me!)

Avery weighed 24 1/2 pounds and was 31 in tall. She is a very tiny thing....only in the 25% on the growth chart! She is definitely fiesty and independent! She is pretty quiet when we are out in public, and often looks at people like "What are you looking at?" She has the prettiest hair and big brown eyes. She knows how to work the pout too! Avery loves to play kitchen, and likes to bring you bites after whipping up something special. She does a great impersonation of Cookie Monster eating cookies too! Abby is her favorite Sesame Street character.

Together: They all love Sesame Street, Blues Clues, and Thomas the Train. They sing all the theme songs and dance every time they hear the music. It is nothing for Adam to wake up in the middle of the night and ask "Elmo? Elmo?" No, son....Elmo is sleeping.

They are great eaters and eat two meals a day at the table. Breakfast is pretty much finger-foods in the living room. Every Sunday John makes them french toast with either bacon/sausage. That is a big treat as he even puts syrup on their french toast! Their favorite foods are corn on the cob, cornbread, bananas, apples, tortellini, cheese, mashed potatoes, and of course, my gravy.

The kids absolutely love playing with John. He will play Wii for them, lift them over and over to shoot baskets in the house, lay on the floor and let them crawl all over him...pretty much whatever they want to do. He will discipline them, but mostly, he's the fun guy. When he's in charge--like if I'm napping or gone to a movie with a friend--they get to eat junk food snacks and less healthy dinners. Of course they love it!

Taylor is absolutely amazing with them. She is firm with discipline, yet so loving and caring. We are so extremely blessed to have her in our lives. She has been such a great help to John and I....not just the kids. She helps give us time to have some sanity! She is starting back to college this semester, and we are very proud of her.

We really can't believe they are 2! It has gone by so quickly....Friday will be the 2 year anniversary of the day we brought the boys home. My, how they all have changed!

Thanks for your patience with me, and I hope you have enjoyed reading this update! Much love!

Update Coming!

Please be patient! I am sorry I haven't been able to post. Taylor was on vacation much of July, then John and I went on vacation, and now I'm getting ready for school to start! The kids aren't sleeping as late, or going to bed as early, so I have less time to sit!

I promise good pics soon!

2 year Pictures and Toddler Beds

Please Continue your Prayers

Unfortunately, the little boy that I mentioned in my last post passed away on Saturday night. Please pray for Steve and Shiloh Staples (parents) and Abigail (his big sister.)

Bad Blogger Award.....goes to Jill!

SO Sorry!!! (I started this post last week, but am having problems getting pictures uploaded and to move around through the post. So...here are a few pics, and then I will post a separate post with just pictures.)

We've been busy enjoying the summer! We have gone swimming a couple of times. The kids like being in the water. I want to take them to the kiddie pool at our park, but it has just been so dang hot! Here are some pool pics....

Two weeks ago we (Taylor and my parents) took the kids to the Fort Worth Stockyards to ride the Tarantula Train. It was so much fun! They boys have really gotten into trains, so they were super excited. When we first got there I was holding Adam next to the train. He was saying "Choo-Choo, Please!" over and over again! He couldn't wait to get on! It was an hour long trip, and they did so good!

They have been talking up a storm! Adam is putting two words together, and all three are repeating just about everything we say. They love to sing! They try to sing "ABC", "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Pat a Cake." I need to get video!

I found out from a friend that there was a new recall on our baby cribs. The Government website for recalls had the cribs as the number one recall! Anyway, I tore down the cribs on Monday, took them back to Walmart, and got them toddler beds! They have done really well! As with anything, it has taken time. At first they would just run around their room and play. So, for the last two days I have let them spend a large amount of time playing in their room and on their beds. Last night I really emphasized that it was time for bed, and not play time. It took about 45 minutes for everyone to be totally asleep. Tonight it only took 15 minutes! Here are some new pictures!

Finally, we did the kids' two-year pictures at the golf course. It took us two trips out there, because it started raining the first time! She took over 200 shots, so here are some of the best. Adam is in the red shirt.

Please Pray for a Friend

A couple we know has a son in Cook's Hospital that has been there for 2 months. The baby's name is Kyle Staples, and his parents are Steve and Shiloh.

Here is a link to their blog. Please take time to pray for Kyle's healing.

www.kylebradleystaples.blogspot.com

Things Continue to Change

Aaron--Avery---Adam

I posted only 2 1/2 weeks ago, and yet it seems like things have changed so much with the kids! First of all, Avery has decided to talk! Just like the boys, she says new things every day. She still likes to point and let Aaron talk for her, but it is nothing like it was 2 weeks ago! They all try to say everything we say. It is so cute! Of course, John said "Horseshit" the other night watching a Ranger's game. Sure enough, Avery said "Sorse..sit." It is funny right now! (We both know we have to start watching our language in front of them. Ha!)

Adam is obsessed with Elmo, bugs, and golf on Wii. When he gets fixated on an idea, he says it over and over and OVER again. He and Aaron beg John to play "Ball" and "Golf" on Wii every day--which he gladly does. They both love it and yell "Home Run" when John hits one over. Adam also likes to sit with John and watch golf and baseball. Adam is a very sweet boy. He will give Aaron and Avery their favorite toys, give hugs and kisses, and say "Bubba" and "Sister" or "Avery." He always hits balls with bats around the house. We bought a tee last week because I figured they would like to try it. Well, here is a video of Adam just after John got it out of the box. He did so good! We think that he has amazing hand/eye coordination for a child that isn't even 2! Adam is also very observant, obedient, and funny. He has such a cool personality and the best hair!

Aaron is so funny and sensitive! He is slow to wake up in the morning--which I like because he gives the BEST morning hugs! Aaron too loves to watch John play Wii, and will hold his bat and swing at the appropriate times. Last week Adam had to go to the doctor. (Taylor brought them to school and I just got Adam out of the car with his carseat and took him with me.) Well, Aaron FREAKED! He started crying and yelling "Momma...Bubba...Momma...Bubba!" Taylor took them to the park, and although he did play there, when they got home he just sat at the picnic table until I got home with Adam. Aaron eats like a horse, says everything we say, and gives the sweetest kisses. Tonight when I took the kids walking Avery had a sneezing fit. Aaron was sitting by her, and when she stopped, he leaned over to her and said "Sister" and gave her three big kisses! He helps us clean up the sippie cups, doesn't mind taking his medicine, loves to dip his food in ketchup, and hugs his brother and sister every day.

Avery's voice has really changed since she started talking. She still has a deep laugh, but she has the sweetest sounding little voice when she talks. I will whisper secrets in her ear (I do this with the boys too) and she will whisper back to me. The sound of her voice makes us melt! She is very outgoing and loves to give hugs and kisses to anyone that will hold her. She knows when she looks pretty too! I put a dress on her today and she immediately started holding it out to the side. When I put up her hair, she started asking for me to put a bow in her hair. She knows she's pretty! She loves the play equipment at the park, and is truly fearless. She does front flips on her own in the house, and will want you to flip her backwards over and over again. Her favorite thing right now is when I read "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?" before bedtime. They all act out the book, but Avery is especially animated about it! When I pull the book off the shelf she starts laughing! (I really need to get this on tape.)

John, Taylor, and I took the kids to the Ft Worth Zoo last Sunday. It was such a fun day! The kids loved it....here are a few of the million pictures we have!

I have been so proud of the kids lately. It seems like all of the things we work so hard to teach them are finally being seen. For example, they are so kind to each other and so giving. It makes our hearts fill with love when we see them sharing toys, giving hugs and kisses, and giving things to each other. We are also so proud of how well they are using their manners. They say "Please", "Thank You" and "Sorry." We can easily take all three of them out to eat dinner. They sit nicely, eat their food, and make a minimal mess. Of course we have our rough days--they are toddlers--but they are truly amazing children!