Beach bums!

The beach is always a little crazy... You think beach, you think "relaxation"...until you have kids...and then it's not only the opposite of relaxation, it can actually be way more work than being at home. But, it's worth it... I think :) And it's definitely more fun when you've got a friend in the trenches with you...and a lot of kids to make for fun chaos!

Amber, Max, and Ava came to hang with us at the beach a few weeks ago. We loaded up our car with ALL of us...4 car seats, the 2 of us and SO much stuff. We had to take a picture of how our luggage was packed to make sure we'd be able to get everything back in the car for the way home. We survived the road trip without too many stops and only one bag of goldfish spilled and crushed in the floor.

It's such a blessing to have a friend with kids that are the same ages... It's been sweet to watch Tucker and Max's little friendship grow this past year and hopefully the girls will catch on soon as well :) Gigi was with us for the week too and a HUGE help as always. Enjoy our week in pictures!

Hadley and Ava...4 months apart

Happy girl with Gigi!

Silly to attempt I know...

Okay, so I know we look rough... but it's the only evidence I have that we were there :)

"Don't worry about us... We'll just be laying on the floor hoping the brothers don't step on us"

A few days before we left, Tucker got an ear infection...he was really sick for 12 hours with vomiting and fever. Sweet Max was trying to make him feel better...

And he succeeded when he bought him his own Mickey Mouse!

p.i.t.i.f.u.l. boy

Ava...seriously the most content, happy baby!

The most popular Gigi...somehow she keeps up with these crazy boys :)

Sun-kissed kiddos, tired mamas...good memories!

Hadley Weekly!

Hadley is 33 weeks old!

She's sitting like a big girl in the high chair (above) and the grocery cart! I'm so glad to be phasing out of the infant carrier because it is h.e.a.v.y. As soon as we buy Tucker a booster seat, we'll move Hadley to his car seat... and this really makes her seem like a big girl!

She's in the midst of dropping her cat nap these days, only taking it here and there. It's nice to have a longer window of time that she's awake. She's sleeping well otherwise and this Mama is thankful!

She doesn't seem to love her babyfood...she will eat it but it's certainly a change from her brother, who devoured everything :)

After a few weeks of bottle striking, she finally started taking it again this week. Brad gives her one every night before bed. She is so fickle with it but I'm just thankful on the days she decides to do it...

She's just such a happy baby these days! I feel like she's finally turned into a content, happy-go-lucky little girl... she is perfectly happy on the floor with a bunch of toys and doesn't require much attention. But, she is BUSY! She's starting to crawl all the way into another room now and she's sitting perfectly on her own. This week she mastered going from laying to sitting up, which she's been practicing in her bed :) It seems like it will just be matter of time before she's pulling up now.

No one can make Hadley giggle the way Tucker does...

Tucker Monthly(s)

The summer months have come and gone and documenting our adventures has not been a strong suit :) Tucker is 34 months old and I'm going to attempt to remember the highlights from the last few months with our little man.

All in all, Tucker is just shy of his 3rd birthday and seems to be in full effect with all the challenges that can come with this stage. Through the years of taking care of other kids, I always found that 3 was harder than 2... and I can definitely say it was easier dealing with other people's 3 year olds! :) His will is strong, his attitude is developing, his vocabulary is sharp, and his meltdowns are unpredictable. These days, discipline and "rearing" feel nonstop and exhausting at times but I'm trying to remember that the consistency will be worth it...

We had a lot of beach these days these summer and Tucker loves it...the sand, the water, and riding the golf cart :)

Tucker is a great big brother to Hadley. He says "Hey Sweetie" all the time to her...since Brad says that. He loves to snuggle with her in his bed and when she cries, he'll say, "I'm here, Hadley, I'm here." They're starting to interact more now that Hadley is playing with toys on the floor with him. She'll be forcing Tucker to learn about sharing daily since her favorite toys seem to be the diggers :)

And speaking of diggers, they are still the love of his life. We'll probably be making plans soon to have a birthday party that somehow involves these...

Tucker and Max - Best buddies!

We had a "sleepover" with Max, as Tucker called it, and it was fun--especially bathtime :)

And there was play-along-with-Zac Brown-time...

I don't have pictures to prove it but Tucker has been playing soccer on Saturday mornings with Daddy. He's in a little 2 year old league and although it doesn't involve actual games, he loves going and I think he's learned more about listening in a big group...hopefully good prep for preschool!

He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Lightening and Mator, construction sites, his "big dee dee", ketchup, "He's got the whole world in His hands", reading, swimming, giving hugs and kisses, and pushing Mommy's buttons :)

We love you Tucker!

Brave boy!

This was Tucker a few weeks ago at a pool party we went to...

This is one thing I will not forget about his 2 year old summer...he is extremely brave and independent in the water!

Hadley Weekly!

Last week, Hadley was 32 weeks old! These weekly updates are turning into every-other-weekly updates but such is life with 2 busy little ones, right? Hadley turned 7 months old this week! We're at the beach for the week so we'll have to take our bear picture when we get home... it's hard to believe we're now closer to 1 year old than to the day she was born!

She is crawling everywhere and I officially can't leave her alone in a room. She's after Tucker's toys...the diggers are her favorite...seriously.

She's interested in Grey and crawls over to her if she's around. Grey is such a great sport, just like she was with Tucker...laying down and letting her crawl on top of her.

Her hair is getting a little longer and she's just looking more like a little girl to me :) She's got the best smile and it instantly fills her face when anyone looks at her.

She's spends most of her awake time hanging out on the floor with a bunch of toys but she still enjoys the exersaucer. As of this week, she's outgrown the Bjorn and it's just a matter of time before we move her out of the infant carrier.

She's taking 2 2-hour naps a day now with cat nap around dinner some days...I can tell she's close to dropping this all together.

She's eating 3 meals a day--with rice cereal and fruits and veggies. She loves to eat :) I'm beginning the process of slowly adding foods back into my diet so I'm hopeful that both of our bodies will adjust well!

First boat ride in a lifejacket! In just 2 minutes, she was asleep and once she woke up, she seemed to be content!

1st tractor ride with big brother!

Hadley Weekly!

Hadley is 30 weeks old!

Lots of "big girl" moments this week since Hadley had her first sleepover and her first night at home with Daddy without Mama! Last weekend, I went on a quick overnight trip with a few women from my church. Brad said he was willing to brave it alone with the 2 kiddos. I was looking forward to the break but had mixed feelings about leaving Hadley for that long. I'm happy to report that I had a great time and Hadley took the bottle great while I was gone!

Just a few nights later, our dear friends, the Seferyn's, offered to have Tucker and Hadley over for the night so Brad and I could enjoy a quiet night to ourselves. And was it QUIET! I've decided being at home without kids is just as nice as going away on vacation. 18 hours of not taking care of anyone felt like 5 days :) THANK YOU to our friends!

In other news, Hadley is still on the move...crawling wherever she needs to go to get a toy-especially Tucker's toys :) She's now eating 3 meals a day in addition to her 4 feedings. The food she seems to like the least are bananas, which seems odd. She's paying a lot of attention to Grey these days and Grey is gentle with her just like she always has been with Tucker.

We love you Hadley girl!

Praying for Amy

Thanks for continuing to pray for Amy. She has her first round of chemo tomorrow and hopefully she'll breeze through it like she did last time. She is such a warrior and I'm amazed by her grace as she walks through the valley.

Stay posted through her caring bridge.

Thanks.