Monday, August 19, 2013

July 2013


 Brock showing his boys how it's done. Fourth of July was great this year.
 
 Jaycee and Izzy solving the world's problems.
 
 Izzy caught her first parachute.
 
 It's a race for the second!
 


 TROUBLE!
 
 Izzy had a great time at Gary's birthday. She finally figured out she could go down the slide and touch at the end. Mommy didn't have to catch anymore.
 
Birthday Boy!
 

Addie and Daddy!
 

The girls!
 

Enjoying the  BBQ weenies.
 


Best of friends!
 

Camping at Branched Oak. Playing a little Candy Land at the camp site.

Great Grandma Brown. Enjoying camping and a cup of joe.


Digging in the sand at Party Cove.

Gamma and Addie.

Great Grandma and Izzy.

PopPop and Great Grandpa Brown.


My Dad and I.
 
Branched Oak at sunset.
 


Giving big sister a little help.

Addie enjoying the swings just like "Izzy-Izzy."
 

Izzy learned how to pump the swing and get going really high about a week after getting the swing set. Thanks to Xavier showing her how.
 
At the end of their sliding choo choo train.

Izzy made this hula skirt in her class. She loved it and wanted to wear it all the time for about two days.


Back outside. Loving the weather.

Sister train.

My little poser.







Sorry so many pictures of Izzy. Normally she won't even look at the camera and today she was asking me to take her picture.

Addie is crawling all over the playset like a little monkey. I watch with caution but she does really well.

 Izzy's airplane from a diaper box. She loved it and so did Addie as you can see.
 
 

July is here and gone. It always seems summer is a downhill slope from the July 4th on. This summer in particular. It had a slow start and didn't stay hot long. We had a great time on the 4th this year. Our yearly plans had totally changed and we didn't skip a beat. Mark still bought a ton of fireworks and he just blew them up in front of different people. He loves his fireworks. We just stayed in the neighborhood on the 3rd and 4th and had a great time. Izzy did awesome this year. She wore her noise blockers and got right in the game.

Izzy has also started to "read." She loves to sit down and look through the pictures and make her own story out of them and what I have read to her in the past. She is a smart little one and she will tell you that too. My mom told her that she should listen to her mom because she is a smart mommy. Izzy replied with ,"I'm already a smart kid."

Izzy lost her first good friend. The daycare we go to built a second location and her friend went to the new school. Izzy cried the whole way home and a little while after because Aubrey was gone. She wanted to go to the school Aubrey was at. The weekend had past and I didn't hear much about it and then on Monday Izzy wanted a side ponytail. She told me she wished Aubrey could see it because she loved side ponytails. She broke my heart. The following Sunday she went to Aubrey's birthday party and had a blast.

Addie again is developing so fast. She is 19 months.  She is counting "one, two, three" and singing her ABC's . She is also singing right along with the lyrics to Disney Jr. shows. I love to hear her sing Jake and the Neverland Pirates theme song. She is asking "why" all the time. I think we might be on our way to potty training. She tells us when she has pooped and sometimes when she has peed her pants. She will sit on the potty but no action yet. She loves her Elmo potty seat.

Mark and I were lucky to get away to a Dave Matthews concert in St. Louis. We had a great time staying in Old St. Charles, MO. We stayed in an old hotel and shopped the quaint boutiques along the brick road way. The concert was great as usual. But the trip was a whirlwind. There and gone in 40 hours. I'm getting too old to do that anymore.

Hope your summer has been great.
Ariann

Monday, July 15, 2013

June 2013


Getting her hair done before her dance recital
 

Her and her doll from the Darlings. She has a million dolls and loves the hand me down from Lily and Charlotte.
 
Three beauties. Ella, Izzy, and Avery.

Izzy and her Grandmas. She sure is loved.
 
 

Waiting for her number.
 
Addie eating pudding for the first time.

Mmm. Good!
 
Sass-a-frass. Her on a daily basis.

 
At the neighborhood bbq.

Hanging with her bud, Jaycee.

Loving the play set at the neighbors.

Natalie from down the street.

Finn from across the street.


Nolan from across the street.


Great friends.


 Love!
 
Some serious conversation. Photo by VWC photography.

Photo by VWC photography.
 

Her buddy Livie. Livie and Addie were born within an hour of each other at the same hospital on the same floor. We live across the street and two houses over and they are in the same class at daycare. Life long friends meant to be. You better stick around. Photo by VWC photography.

Games the kids came up with for the BBQ. Photo by VWC photography.

Izzy and Maia. Photo by VWC photography.


The best neighbors ever! Photo by VWC photography.
Photo by VWC photography.
 

Addie B. Photo by VWC photography.

Photo by VWC photography.
 
 
The next day in our front yard with a blow up pool. Hours of fun! Photo by VWC photography.

Photo by VWC photography.
 
Photo by VWC photography.
 



Photo by VWC photography.
 

Photo by VWC photography.
 

1, 2, 3, Go!


Gaby and her bubbles.
 
Sisterly love.
 
Back yard play.



Gamma and PopPop came the day before my birthday party so we could celebrate my birthday with family.



Izzy wanted a ballerina birthday cake.

Izzy in her birthday dress.

Clara's Closet.


Izzy and Violet.

Fashion show runway.

Blowing out the candles.


We went to the pool on Izzy's actual birthday and had a blast. The girls are little fishies.


 
 
Another year down for Mark and I. We were married 8 years on June 11. That time has just flown by. I suppose when you both work full time, are on the road constantly, and have two kids, you squeeze everything else in and you wish you had more time in the day. That is how the time flies by. I wish I had more time to smell the roses, watch the clouds, hang my feet off a dock and read and scrapbook gads of books. I think in my next life I am going to be a professional memory keeper with photography, scrapbooking, and blogging. I just love it.

I just really got off the subject there. In these eight years between Mark and I we have lived in 6 different cities, owned 8 different cars, 13 different addresses, one dog, and two kids. It's been a crazy eight years. I wouldn't change it for the world. Love ya, babe!

We finished another year of dance and I think it is our last for a while. Maybe Izzy will like to revisit it at another time. She is doing soccer at school and loves it. She is also doing gymnastics and loves it. So, I think we will stick with those for a while.  My lovely lady turned 4 on the 25th. For her birthday we went to Clara's Closet which is a little place girls can play dress up and be whoever they want to be. She has grown up so much I would say she was turning 16, not 4. I don't want it to go too fast, but it seems I don't have a choice. We had her annual check up and she was 78% for height and 82% for weight. Growing like a weed.

Addie is also growing like a weed. At her well check for 18 months she was 95% for her height and 89% for weight. She is funny, stubborn, and rhythmic. The girl loves to dance. When she is being  funny she gets this look on her face only a mother could love. Her face is all squished up and large gapped teeth in all their glory. She is still having separation anxiety and drooling like a hound. I hope she out grows that soon. Love her bunches.

We had our annual Fourth of July party (at the end of June), but a little scaled down and it was wonderful. My head was  only partially cut off instead of completely. We did not combine Izzy's birthday this year which helped a lot. The fireworks were beautiful and the company grand. I am thankful for all the good people Mark and I have in our lives.

Hope everyone is well and come on over and join us anytime. You will find us outside with the new playset Mark put up or in the basement enjoying our new digs. The door is always open.

Ari