Baby Shower Fun!

In our group of friends someone is always pregnant. Right now four girls are prego. One of the many great things about having babies is that it gives us girls another reason to hang and have a fun night out together. This was taken at the latest shower. Michelle's little Zoey is on the way. Any day she will be here. I imagine the future and I think of all of the fun pictures like this that our children will have together. So far there are 20 something of them so I am sure there will be plenty. We are blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Jack and Jill

Aiden and Taylor have a new backyard game this week.
Aiden pushes the fourwheeler (that he is probably too big for) up the hill and Taylor follows. When they get to the top of the hill Aiden rides the fourwheeler full speed down the hill and Taylor follows running. There is a lot of squealing involved. This goes on and on for quite a while and several times Taylor rolls down the hill head over feet, laughing the whole time. When we cannot stand the mosquitoes any longer we head inside. They are sweaty, tired, and Taylor is covered in dirt and scratches.

Each night they beg to go outside. I can feel summer slipping away. The cooler air is coming and I can't wait to open those huge doors and let them run in and out!

A new stage

This summer was a whirlwind. In late May we sold our house, moved into an apartment, bought a new house, worked on the new house while living in the apartment, moved out of the apartment, and into the new house and now I have gone back to work.

Apartment living is not for me. It may have been a one point but with a family it was a very tense time. We lived in a two bedroom apartment. Aiden and Taylor (3 and 1) shared a room, and Mark and I had the other room. It definitely had its perks. The pool being the top one, and listening to the sweet sounds of brother and sister laughing and giggling as they settled down for the evening to go to sleep. It was a precious memory that I will always remember. The down side was the close quarters and the lack of our possessions that made us feel at home. One of the other major problems we had this summer was with our sweet imaginative Aiden. This has been the summer of "monsters, people in the wall, and dinosaurs in the closet. It was not a loud place, but in general there are going to be noises of other people in the building. Aiden was terrified each night to be alone and it was heartbreaking. I prayed each and every night that my little one would rest and would feel comfortable in his own room but it did not come. Mark and I took turns comforting him and sitting with him until he fell asleep. He would then wake up in the middle of the night, causing Taylor to wake up. We didn't get much sleep. ever. The days were fun. We would wake up in the morning, go do something fun, be home to nap, play in the afternoon, have dinner, swim, and then go to bed. We did this for an entire month. Often times I felt like I was staying at an extended stay for the summer. I told myself this often to stay sane. Taylor took her first steps in that tiny apartment on May 31 and took off running soon after in the days following.
Aiden became very comfortable in the pool. He went from clinging to Mark or I for dear life, to jumping of the side of the pool into the water. He swam with his floaties but loved every minute of it. Taylor was a different story. Most of the time she had to be coaxed into floating around the pool and then we usually bought more time for us in the pool by giving her a snack in the stroller. Aaah the double stroller. What a lifesaver that was. It was always stocked with towels, sunscreen, various pool toys, and floaties, ready for the pool at the drop of a hat.
At the end of June our WHOLE family got a nasty stomach virus, which is even more fun and inevitable being in such close quarters.
At the end of June we bought our house. We had it for 3 days and worked in it night and day before Uncle Steve, Aunt Sam, Abby, and Joanna came to visit. When they were here we hung out with friends and went to hang out at our annual trip to the fireworks. Abby and Aiden are so much fun together. They are like peas and carrots and had fun dancing and playing together at the fireworks. We left the next day with all of the kids in tow and headed to Nana and Papa's for a week. After the fun there we returned to finish an entire month of working night and day in the house to get it move in ready.
By naptime each day we were at the house and would not leave until midnight or later each night. We would wake up the kids move them to the apartment and then start over the next day. We had awesome friends come and help us each and every day. We COULD NOT have done it without them. They were there for the hideous textured wallpaper removal and the painting of the ALL of the trim and countless times offered reassurance that it would indeed get done in time.
Finally the day came that our POD arrived. What a glorious day. Aiden and I watched as the man came unloaded the POD from the truck and set it in the driveway. Once again our amazing friends came over and the POD was unloaded in about 45 minutes. The day had arrived.

Now we are here. Most of our things are unpacked. We are no where near from being done with the house but we are home. My prayers have been answered and Aiden goes right to sleep on his own and everyone seems to be much more at ease with one another. We all have our own space and we love our new home. I can't believe the summer is over. I started school again this week and I don't like it one bit. Working is for the birds.

Both Aiden and Taylor have grown up so quickly this summer and I feel like I have been so busy that I have missed it.
We are in a new stage in our lives and I am ready for it! Come see us sometime!

Monday Night Family

We have the most special group of friends. This was taken tonight at dinner. This was posted by Julie and it was so sweet. I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks Julie!~

Our Gifts

Dear Children of Monday Night,

We, your parents, used to be a bunch of college students. There were no kid plates, no sippy cups, and no toys flying around when we got together. We were just God lovers trying to figure out what we wanted to do in this world. We had dreams and plans to make and do big things. We thought we knew what we wanted. But what we really wanted was you. Because you are our wildest dreams. And you've come true. You have shown us what it means to begin. To cry. To laugh. To try. To learn. To believe. To love. You are children and you are hope. You are new life and you are precious.

We are thankful. We are blessed. You have made our dreams come true. We are honored to be outnumbered by you. May your zeal, innocence, and wonder inspire us every day. We will not give up meeting together. We will do it forever. We will do it for you. We love you.

The Moms and Dads of Monday Night