So Many Pictures

So far in July, I've uploaded about 250 pictures to my computer. Those are only the good ones...many, many more got deleted along the way. Here is some of our week in pictures. Enjoy!

We woke up Monday morning to our first flower bloom!

Snow White Mania continues...this week we acquired all seven dwarfs! These dwarfs belonged to one of my sisters and my mom had them at her house. She's been lining them up and stacking them on top of one another, just like they do in the movie!

We beat the heat with an early morning trip to the park with our friend, Sammy. Bridget and Sammy will be in the same preschool class this year, but they'll go on opposite days. It's great having a friend to take this big step with!

Ross is in the 'Everything-Goes-In-The-Mouth Phase' right now.

The hula hoop is still a hit. She really, really tries to do it and sometimes she gets it going pretty good!

But of course, sometimes it goes all wrong!

I swear he has on a diaper under there!

So fresh and so clean after his bath!

Thirty One

Making a wish was tough this year. What more could I possibly want? Can't wait to see what year 31 has in store for me!

Just Another Week

It's been an ordinary week here, which is just how we like it. We did the usual errands-Target, library, bank; Had a couple of play dates; but mostly just laid around the house. Bridget has a new movie obsession, Snow White, which we've watched at least once a day since last weekend. She thinks Snow White is beautiful, gets shy when the Prince comes around, her favorite dwarf is Dopey, and when the Wicked Queen tries to kill Snow White, she laughs. I hadn't seen Snow White in forever and I didn't realize how scary and dark it was. At the library, we checked out Cinderella and the Little Mermaid, hoping that those were a little more cheerful and happy. We'll never know though because she won't let me put those in the DVD player. It's Snow White and Snow White only! All of this Snow White business had me thinking that it would be SO CUTE for them to dress up for Halloween as Snow White and a dwarf! Bridget could easily pull off Snow White with her short dark hair and fair skin. I found some amazing costumes online, but they are a bit pricey. Sure wish I could sew! Bridget says she wants to be a butterfly and I actually bought a costume for Ross last year when I was pregnant. So, buying new costumes seems a bit wasteful, but I don't know...we'll see!

Being a good helper and setting the table with napkins before a cinnamon roll breakfast!

This is what you get when you tell a 2 year old to go and pick some shoes out of her closet. She obviously chose the red, shiny ones that are a size too small!

Have I mentioned before how happy Ross is? Seriously, his cheeks must be sore from all the smiling! His smiles and laughs are so contagious and he is so ticklish. We barely have to nuzzle his neck with our nose and he goes into a fit of giggles! By this age (well, actually long before this age) Bridget wouldn't let ANYONE hold her except Todd and I and maybe her two grandmas. Ross is happy to go to anyone and isn't shy about smiling and laughing with them.

Happy Guy!

Now, he still loves to be held. I mean loves it. He's doesn't play very well on his own like I remember Bridget doing. If I put him on the floor surrounded by toys, I better plan on laying right there with him and being in his face the whole time. He's going to be my child that needs to be entertained all the time, while Bridget will be the independent one who can amuse herself by turning a light switch on and off 100 times. (Yes, this is what she did this morning!) All of the holding Ross and carrying him around can definitely be exhausting, but I know that he'll be walking and running around way too soon and then I'll wish he would let me hold him for just a minute or two.

A quick nap in the Baby Bjorn while down at my parents

Trying out the new sippy cup. I don't think he actually drank anything from it, but he had fun playing with it!

We will be stuck inside most of the weekend thanks to a tropical storm brewing out there. I predict we'll be watching a lot more Snow White!

Like Brother, Like Sister

The other day while snapping pictures of Ross, I looked back at one and thought it looked a lot like one of Bridget from the same age. I went and found that old picture. I can't believe how much they really do look alike!

Bridget at 5 months

Ross at 5 months

5 Months and Almost 3

Ross turned 5 months old last week while we were on vacation. He is the happiest little baby! At 5 months old he is always smiling! All we have to do is lock eyes with him and he gives us the biggest grin each time! He has learned so many new things in the past month.

5 happy months!

He's laughing and looking at Bridget who is in his crib being Miss Bossy Pants...

His wake-up smiles are the best! He is so happy to see us!

He loves his rice cereal and baby food. So far, he hasn't turned down any of the different fruits and vegetables I've given him. As for milk, I'm still nursing him and he's clearly continuing to grow and thrive. We have packed away most of his 6 months sized clothes for the 9 and 12 months sized ones!

We tried feeding him in his highchair for the first time the other night. He wasn't quite ready for it, but he sure does look cute!

He babbles and talks all the time now and his newest sound is a high pitched squeal. He sounds like a little pig when he does this! He loves nibbling on his toes and a little round of "The Wheels on the Bus" always cheers him up.

He is rolling both ways now, quite easily. This has made playtime on the floor a bit more fun for him, but has made sleep time a bit more complicated...If he rolls to his tummy while he's sleeping or trying to fall asleep he gets very mad and I have to go and put him back on his back. Bridget became a tummy sleeper at about this age, but it looks like Ross prefers to sleep on his back still.

He really doesn't fuss or cry all that much, but he does LOVE to be held. We find ourselves holding him and carrying him around so much. We have become very good at doing things one-handed...cooking, helping Bridget go potty, cleaning, walking Harley...you name it, we can do it with a baby in hand!

More attempts at a sister/brother shot. Not too successful, but still funny!

And the one who really keeps us on our toes is Bridget! For so long we've been saying she's "about 2 1/2" whenever anyone asks how old she is, but really she is AMLOST 3!! She is a true almost 3 year old. She is like a little sponge who repeats and remembers everything. Her memory is really amazing! She tests us and pushes our buttons quite frequently and usually we don't know whether to laugh at her or scold her. I'm also thrilled to be able to say that she is completely potty trained! She wore her big girl undies all through vacation and is doing great at home as well! It didn't come super easy for her, but we did it and I'm proud of both of us!

Bridget's 1st happy face!

In just over a month she'll be going to school for the very first time! She's starting preschool for two mornings a week and I'm sure she's going to love it! We have visited the school, met her teacher, Mrs. Wolf, and we just ordered and got her very first backpack-monogramed with her name on it, of course. I got butterflies in my stomach the first time we slipped this on her back. I know it's only preschool and it's only two mornings a week, but still-she is such a big girl and is growing up way too fast. I can't wait to pack her a lunch and pick out her school outfits and hear her tell stories about her day.

Our summer is flying by, and for once I'm okay with that. The fall is the best time of year and I'm anxiously awaiting its return!

Every Summer Needs a Vacation

And ours looked a little something like this...

It was only 41 miles from our home, but at any given moment you would have thought we were somewhere in the Caribbean. We knew we wanted a beach vacation and threw around some different ideas, but when someone suggested Captiva Island we stopped searching. It's about an hour away, has a family friendly beach resort and they had some great summer deals going on.

A few weeks earlier, I started panicking as I made list after list of all the things we'd need for the trip. There was no way we were going to fit everything into my car. Fortunately, my grandmother keeps a minivan down here at her winter home that she let us borrow for the trip. I don't know what we would have done without it! A minivan is looking better and better each day! Here we are, all packed and ready to go!

Here's our very first family vacation basket! I have to thank my friend, Lindsey, for this fun idea. The basket was filled to the brim with new things for the vacation. Bridget loved tearing into it the morning of the trip!

We stopped for lunch in Sanibel and then finished the short drive to Captiva. Our room was perfect and exactly what we needed. And what's the first thing my kids wanted to do? The pool? The beach? A trolley ride? Nope, watch a movie on our little DVD player on the pull-out couch!

We did a little exploring the first night and then we were up bright and early the next morning for a full day at the pool. Ross napped on and off and even Bridget couldn't help but pass out on a lounge chair by mid afternoon. For the next three days we hit the repeat button and did it all over again.

We checked out the beach a couple of mornings too where the perfectly calm water was like a giant swimming pool to Bridget. She's so fun and fearless. She swam in the ocean with her daddy like a little fish. She would spend just few minutes playing in the sand before she was ready to get back in the water. Ross hung out under the umbrella most of the time, but enjoyed his dip in the water just as much as Bridget did.

Our room had a kitchen and it was easiest to eat in most nights, but we would often catch the resort trolley after an early dinner to have ice cream or play in the sand at dusk. Bridget loved the old fashioned candy store and on our last night we treated her to the big lollipop she had been eyeing. And in true 2 1/2 year old fashion, she took a few licks and was ready to toss it aside!

Our first family of four trip was perfect! I know neither of the kids will probably remember this trip, but Todd and I will and can't wait to tell them all about it someday. It feels great to be home though and we are all looking forward to good nights sleep in our own beds!