Our Children

Collection of happenings...

Just a collection of recent photos and happenings...


Precious boy...

Art with Lincoln...

Behold the power of the iPad...

The infamous hair twirl (so glad I caught this on film)...

And again...

Garden Fun (with a capital "F")...

Sleeping beauty...

Pays to have a big sister...

No idea why we're centered now and not enough energy to troubleshoot so let's just go with it, mkay?

Fun while shopping...

County Fair & another pony...

Oh look, we're on the left again...Weeee!

Go Wolfpack!

Big boy haircut in the making...

After photo...

We're dog sitting Aspen for the week! Hooray! Love her!

I definitely forgot how big Aspen is...

It was REALLY hot outside while Zsa Zsa was visiting and we were cooped up inside and got a little stir crazy so we decided to style Linc's hair and put him in a bomber jacket to take photos. He rocked it...

That's all for now. The End.

Mission Impossible

If you've been following this blog then you know that Ava is obsessed with dogs and has been desperately wanting one of her own. Hmm, who does that remind me of? Anyway, we've all missed Aspen since we gave her to another family and the thought of another dog has been on my mind ever since. Each time Chris and I talk about our future I'm always secretly wondering when and where a dog will fit into the mix. There are so many unknowns for our future right now so this became horribly frustrating to me. Mission impossible. Then I had Ava constantly asking for a dog - at LEAST five times a day! I guess you could say she broke me down (wasn't hard). My ultimate breaking point occurred last weekend during Courtney's graduation party. I blame Chris' family and I'm pretty sure they're OK with this. They're fellow dog lovers, like myself, and they traveled up to NC and they brought their dogs. Only thing is, they have little dogs. Ahhh, a little dog! *ding* Light bulb moment! I've always proudly proclaimed that I'm not a little dog person but then I spent some time with Pogo and I saw how well behaved Candy is. Hmmm. A little dog. Ava just adored Pogo, he is just her size. He's the perfect travel size. He doesn't shed. Pretty good deal, right? Yeah, except Chris wasn't going for any of this. When we got home I did my research and learned that most little dogs are indeed perfect family dogs. I looked into rescuing a small dog but I quickly noticed that most of the dogs in shelters are undesirable breeds (pit bulls, beagles, etc.) or they're much older (medical costs). I started looking for breeders and I talked with a few. Chris and I talked about it and then we talked about it some more because it was important to me that Chris be on board. We finally reached an agreement and so the search for a little dog for our family was ON! We decided to surprise Ava so we kept the whole thing under wraps. **Cue Mission Impossible music**

I found a three-month-old pup in Cary, NC. He's a Yohcon which is a Yorkie/Bechon mix. He shouldn't exceed ten pounds when full grown and he's hypoallergenic/non-shedding. I jumped on it! After only two days and several phone conversations with his breeder I hopped in the car at 5 a.m. to drive to Cary, NC and pick up our new baby boy! Conveniently, Courtney lives 20 minutes from the breeder so I stopped to pick her up first :-) We melted. Just melted into a puddle on the floor. He's so sweet. I couldn't wait to get him home to surprise Ava! On the way back we made a pit-stop at Courtney's apartment to give him a bath because he didn't smell as lovely as he looked and we didn't want that to be the first thing Ava noticed. The poor pup looks like a rat when he's all wet. He's so tiny. He didn't make a sound on the way home - no whimpers or barks.

When I got close to home I called Chris so he could take Ava to the backyard (Linc was napping) so I could let the pup get settled before meeting Ava. I walked outside and Ava was happy that I was home. Chris ran inside and assumed his position with the video camera. I told Ava that her Daddy and I have a surprise for her and with that she walked into the house and met her dog for the very first time. She was shocked! She just said, "A DOG?!" Then she asked, "Do I get to save him?" That was her way of asking if we're keeping him. Next she starting worrying about logistics, "...but we don't have dog food or a dog bed or dog toys..." Typical Ava. Honey & Papa graciously put Ava's mind at ease by taking her and her new dog to PetSmart that evening to pick out everything a dog could ever want.

Ava named her new dog Louis ("Loo-ie") Leaf. He's 15 weeks old. Ava just adores him and they have a morning play ritual already. He's perfectly content snuggled on her lap and he enjoys going for walks with her as well. He's an extraordinarily laid back dog and so super sweet. He truly likes children and he walks around the house in the morning just waiting for the kids to wake up. As soon as Ava & Lincoln are downstairs he perks up. He's doing really well with walking on a leash. He's making progress with the potty and crate training. He rarely ever barks. Ava and I brought him to the vet today and he did really well. He weighs 3 pounds 11 ounces. It's nice to have a friendly and not overly excited/hyper-active dog. Hopefully we can keep him happy and balanced. I think we lucked out with him but time will tell...

Here are some pictures...

He's cute even when he's panting..

This is moments after they met each other for the first time...

Snuggle bums...

Shopping trip...

Don't let Chris fool you, he's buds with Louis...

This small dog rocks!

Graduation Party

Last weekend we celebrated Courtney's graduation with a big pool party and semi family reunion. My pictures are limited and random since we don't have a point-and-shoot camera just yet.

One of Lincoln's many gifts - a Lightening McQueen shirt that he LOVES...

Ava & Pogo (Grammie & Pop Pop's pup)...

Why I didn't get much sleep...

Rugrats in the hotel...

Rugrats in the car...

Cuteness at the pool...

Food break!

Big swimmer...

Ava & Uncle Kyle...

Beautiful Savannah...

Ava & Savannah coloring together (Ava's favorite part about the trip)....

It was great to see everyone again! Hopefully I'll get some better pictures from Courtney soon!

Flashback Friday

Donna and little adorable Christopher :-) In honor of our visit with you in T Minus five hours!

Dear Nikon

Dear Nikon,

I missed you. I'm glad we found each other again.

Love,

Michelle

Uh Oh Spaghetti-O

My camera broke! *gasp* I know. I know. *shaking head* It's awful. Like, it's a goner. Like, we need to buy a new one. We can't just walk into Best Buy and purchase any ol' camera, no, we have to research cameras and then order one. So this could take a while. Thankfully, I have my trusty cell phone camera and it will have to do until we purchase a new fancy shmancy point-and-shoot camera. Also, I have my Nikon. It's funny because I was feeling guilty about not taking enough photos of the kids with my Nikon. I guess this little hiatus is just what I needed.

Here are some pics of our recent adventures...all taken with my cell phone...

Linc and fish...

This is Ava's balloon animal. While waiting in line for said balloon animal I rattled off the list of possible balloon sculptures to Ava - princess wand, princess crown, princess bracelet, etc. - and she still chose a DOG. Surprise.

She chose a pink butterfly with glitter for her face paint though. Progress, I guess.

I love love love love this picture! He's giving me a kiss...

Lincoln had his 18-month well-check appointment with the Pediatrician. He's a healthy boy! He weighed in at 26.5 lbs (56%) and he's 34" tall (90%) and his head circumference is 19.25" (80%). He's on track developmentally, too. He did great with the doctor this time - no tears! At home we're working on some slight behavior issues like hitting and throwing food. He's sleeping like a champ, though, he is a light sleeper. We finally omitted his morning nap! He's down to a 1.5 hour - 3 hour afternoon nap.

Ponies and Ernies and Playgrounds...OH MY!

It's been so long since I updated the blog that I had to re-visit it myself to see where I left off because I couldn't remember! Tsk, tsk. As always, I have good reason...we're busy!

Zsa Zsa came into town for a little while and we did just about everything! The weekend started off with a pony birthday party for Ava's friend. This time the kids came to the pony rather than the pony coming to the kids. They were able to learn all about horses and get hands on with the pony before going for a ride. I'm pretty sure I was more excited than anyone else there but what's new?

Ava is learns about what it takes to care for a horse and his stable...

Ava learns how to keep a horse clean....

Here is a video of Ava painting (conditioning) Mint's hooves...

Finally, Ava gets to ride Mint, the pony...

All saddled up!

Ava & Mint...

We went to Busch Gardens with Daddy & Zsa Zsa. Lincoln isn't a fan of the Sesame Street characters...

A real smile!

He said, "Wee!"

Zsa Zsa and Ava...

Mommy & Linc waiting in line for another ride...

Again, "Wee!"

Cute! Ava & Zsa Zsa have matching toenail polish...

Play time at the playground....

Here is a video of Ava putting on a show at the playground...

A tasty and refreshing treat after sweating it out on the playground...

"Look, Mom! I can wink!" Kinda...

Post nap Lincoln cuteness...

There, now ya'll are all caught up!