Avery's New Bed!

Avery graduated from toddler bed to twin bed this weekend! She loves her "big kid" bed and princess bedding, but it's kind of bittersweet taking down a crib!

Happy Birthday Brian!

We were in Bloomington, IL for Brian's interview on his birthday so that's where we celebrated. We decorated and celebrated in our hotel and then had a great dinner at Destihl with some family and friends. Happy B-day, honey!

Interviews

The girls and I went along with Brian for his interview in Bolingbrook, IL last week. We stayed in a hotel and swam in the pool, had Lou Malnati's pizza (YUM!) and the girls and I shopped all afternoon in downtown Naperville while Brian had his interview. It was a nice, but short, little getaway! This week we'll be in Bloomington, IL for a couple of days while he interviews there. His b-day is Thursday so we'll be celebrating if anyone wants to join us!

Fall yard work

You will probably be surprised to know that I mow our grass. I hate doing it. Brian is never here to do it and I don't want the yard looking like nobody lives here! So I recently put down some weed & feed and the yard is going crazy! Here's Lyla helping out by doing a little mowing :)

Snuggly cute!

The only thing cuter than a blanket sleeper is matching blanket sleepers! This sudden cool fall weather calls for warm jammies, and we found really cute matching sleepers for the girls. Avery wants to live in hers!

Not before my morning coffee...

Lyla is not only exploring many different foods, but is also developing a taste for Starbucks!





KIDDING :)

Yummy!

Lyla is a pro at finger foods and is becoming a master at spoon feeding herself as well. She loves "Gogurt" and Macaroni and Cheese but we're trying everything now that she has a whopping 12 teeth in that little mouth!

Seven Years.

If you haven't already, take a minute to think about where you were when the World Trade Center was destroyed seven years ago. I was drying my hair and had the TV on, as usual watching the news. I remember thinking it was a terrible accident as I watched the smoke coming out of the first tower when all of the sudden the second plane hit the other tower. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Tutu Cute!

Avery is in ballet & tap and likes to warm up her tappers in the kitchen before she goes. The class is adorable, imagine about 15 three year olds in matching lavender tutus, tapping and twirling for 30 minutes. Avery and Lauren know each other from the library so she already has a best friend in class!

AVERY'S 1ST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

Today was Avery's first day of Pre-school! It's hard to believe she is getting so big. She had a great morning with her teachers and new friends. She told me they played, sang songs, had a story about bears and Barney, and had blueberrry muffins and milk. What a great first day!

Happy Birthday Ella Donna!

My sister's baby turns 3 today! How do these little ones grow up so fast, and Marci and I stopped aging years ago? We are some fabulous living miracles! It's also amazing how much Ella is just like her AWESOME Aunts. See for yourself!




HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETIE! WE MISS YOU!!! XOXO

13 Months

Lyla is 13 months old today! Where has the time gone? Sweet baby is walking and eating so much big-kid food now, but still loves her bottle and being rocked to sleep at night. Stay our baby a little longer....

Best Friends

Avery has been best friends with Aubrey and twins Jake and Julia since they were babies.They are starting pre-school together next week! We took them out to play today and I got these nice pictures...



And then this silly one! GOOD LUCK, PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS! :)

Grace Church Fall Festival

Mom and Steve took us to the Fall Festival at their church where we enjoyed dinner, fair treats like cotton candy and sno-cones, inflatable toys, a petting zoo and horse rides. So much fun!

First American Bank Day at Adventureland

Today was my Mom's banks' day at Adventureland. Avery had a blast on the rides, and I even got on a couple too! Kiddie rides are fun, but all that going round & round makes me sick. Give me a roller coaster anyday!

Holy Guacamole!

We went to On The Border last night for dinner and our server let Avery make the fresh guacamole we ordered. It was entertainment and an appetizer all in one!

IOWA STATE FAIR 2008!

We made 3 trips to the Iowa State Fair this year and didn't take a single food pic! Hard to believe, I know. The corn dog was amazing, pork chop on a stick was delish, and mini donuts were finger licking good! Oh and sweet potato fries and pickle dog! Too busy eating to take pics! But here are a few we snapped in between noshing.

Illinois State Fair 2008

A family trip to the fair!