Liam!

Well I can't decide if Liam is 1 or 8.  He has so much personality.  He doesn't say many words, but he sure can communicate and knows what he wants.  His newest thing is opening the pencil drawer, getting a pencil and notebook and writing.  He doesn't want a coloring book or crayons, but a pencil and lined paper.  He also loves getting into his hair stuff, toothbrushes, toothpaste, lipstick, and measuring tapes.  The one toy he does play with is a ball.  He will play with a car or sword or animal for a minute, but he can be found with a ball in his arm most of the day.

House Projects

Well I am either nesting or just finally getting around to some things because I have to.  We have needed hooks in the kid's bathroom since we moved in, but never hung any.  I think part of the reason I never hung any was because I didn't know how many kids we were having or the gender, etc.  Also three towels have been able to fit on the door handle, but four definitely wouldn't.  I also had the vision to do two  cute picture frames above the hooks.  One frame put Ava and Noah from the beach and the other do Liam and baby at the beach.  I finally committed to some hooks and Steve hung them.  The kids' bathroom looks so  cute now.  We also did a few things to the guest bedroom to make it more inviting, again much overdo.  We hung curtains, mirror, picture frames, changed the lamp, and put a throw blanket at the foot of the bed.  We have quite a bit of company coming the next month so I wanted to make it nicer for them.  I bought a garage code but we haven't installed that yet.  Steve was on a major project kick so it was nice that I had  plenty for him to do.  He wished I had more.  I think in maybe another year we may actually be completely settled in this house!

Baby's Nursery

I was sort of drawing a little of a blank on the direction  I wanted to go for the baby's nursery.  I was also worried because we were going to use the boys' furniture for her.  Originally we were going to get Ava new furniture and give the baby Ava's old furniture, but we ran out of time and I wasn't ready to redo Ava's room quite yet.  I was thinking of getting Restoration Hardware bedding for the baby and doing the petal pink and gray, but wasn't sure.  I thought Shannon had it for Holland so I asked if I could come see the color of the pink.  Well Shannon ended up bringing over the bedding, curtains, sheet, and changing pad cover!  It is all so so cute and saved us a ton of money.  I then went to work doing the rest of her nursery.  We found everything relatively easily and for great prices.  Her nursery looks great and it was so easy to do.  I still have to get her a chandelier and  a bookshelf that goes on the wall, both from Pottery Barn kids.  I am undecided which chandelier  I want to get.

Happy Anniversary

Well I didn't take a picture of us on our anniversary, but we had a great night.  Our actual anniversary was May 20th, but Steve took the kids to the Challenger picnic that night and I prefer going out on Saturday if we are doing a longer date so we opted to celebrate the 21st.  The last two years for our anniversary, we have gone away.  However, this year with the baby and everything else going on, we stayed home.  Alisha babysat for us and we were able to go on a longer date.  We ran some errands for the house and baby, went to dinner, and enjoyed being out and kid free. Steve bought me a watch for Mother's Day so we had that sized and I got a new pair of sunglesses.  Steve and I enjoy shopping, but it has been a little while since we have just shopped for us.  I am excited to be mostly settled in the house and start shopping for each other again.  Luckily, we have a great marriage, but we have certainly It has been a crazy year.  I also feel like I have been pregnant for like 2 years with a small stint on skinny in the middle.  With my mom passing away, the trips to NJ, my work schedule and Steve's work schedule it has been a busy and fairly  unexciting year.  Luckily, we have some vacations planned.  We are looking forward to having our last baby and enjoying every minute of her, but also ready to be able to travel a little more and have some fun again.  We traveled a lot when it was just Ava and Noah and we have had a bit of a vacation drought.  We are ready to get back on schedule  though.

Soccer Games

Ava had her last soccer game on Saturday.  Her coach gave each of them a trophy.  She was so excited.  She has really liked the coach and the kids on her team.  Most of the kids on the team also go to Challenger so she is friends with them and in our neighborhood.  She always husled and played her best.  She enjoys soccer for the social, physical, and treat aspects!
Noah still has one more game, but  this last game he did so good.  He didn't enjoy soccer that much last year, but he has loved it  this year.  He scored two goals in a row this year. Despite being one of the younger ones on the team he really keeps up and does really good.  He has so many friends on the team.  He has a great group of little friends in the neighborhood his age.  I definitely feel like this was the right spot for us because there are so many kids Ava's and Noah's age.  Surprisingly Liam also has several kids his age.  The new baby girl will have 2 girls her age as well that we know of now.

Challenger Family Picnic

Every year Challenger School hosts a family picnic day.  Last year we didn't attend, however, this year Ava really wanted to go.  The weather wasn't promising.  I had told her that we most likely couldn't go due to the weather. However, when Steve got home the kids asked him to take them to the picnic. He loaded them up and off they went.  Alisha had just gotten back from Asia so I stayed and talked to her.  The kids had so much fun and both came home with cute faces painted.  They love just being with other kids playing outside.

Home Made Kites

Reese came over to play and Ava, Noah, and Reese wanted to make something.  Ava and Reese both love crafts, projects, and making up games.  They got my phone and looked up how to make a kite.   They read some of it and then just started making a kite.  They used a trash bag, markets, and string.  They ran up and down the sidewalk making it fly.  All three of them helped it to get up and they were so excited and proud of their work.  They were cute.  I had marker everywhere because marker doesnt stick to a plastic trash bag very well.  The most beautiful rainbow came out later in the evening as well.  The kids played great and had so much fun.