6 Months

Our girl is 6 months old today!  I can't believe a whole half year has passed since she was born, but at the same time it feels like she has been with us much longer!  There is still one word that would sum Audrey up, and that is sweet.  She just has the sweetest aura about her, and more than one person has said that when she looks at you, it is like she is staring into your soul.  Haha!  

Stats today:

• weight- 16 pounds 8.5 ounces (70%)
• height- 26.75 inches (90%)
• head- 17 inches (75%)

So what is new with our girl?

• She is a sitter.  She is very stable, and will tip occasionally, but that is rare.
• She is on the move.  Between army crawling and rolling, she can get to wherever she needs to.  She has started to pull up on her knees and elbows, so I think full on crawling is not far off.
• She gets on her side and tries to push up into the sitting position.  No luck yet.
• Blows raspberries
• Wears 6 month clothes and size 3 diapers
• Eats four 7 oz bottles per day and one solid food meal
• Has eaten squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas and bananas
• Tried puffs, but we jumped the gun a little too soon on that one ;)
• Takes 2-3 naps per day depending on how long her first two are
• Sleeps from 7:30ish to about 7-7:30 am!  AWESOME!
• Is now very interested in her brothers toys, which Luke is not a fan of =)

Here she is this morning before heading to the doctor.   

The big weigh in.

 

Four shots suremake you tired!  Oh and funny story about the doctor.  Right after getting weighed, the nurse picked her up and she proceeded to pee all over the poor nurse!  She was soaked...yikes!

 Posing for the camera. =)

 Now that she is a stable sitter, she can take baths in the big tub!

 These last shots are from our little photo shoot today.  I wasn't very smart and did it after the doctor visit with the shots.  I couldn't get a smile for the life of me!  I like the first one where she is like, "Ok, Ok I'm here...enough with the pics mom!"

 

 

 

 

"Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me"

We have a pirate living at our house.  Luke received a pirate set from Tula and Pop on Sunday.  They just got back from a trip to the Cayman Islands for my dad's job, and brought Luke this souvenir.  Well...he has pretty much been wearing it nonstop since.  As soon as he wakes up, he has to put on his gear, and is now very into "Jake And The Neverland Pirates".  It is so cute to see!  Here he is sporting his getup throughout the week. 

This little pirate has also been enjoying the beautiful weather.  We have been outside a ton, and Luke has been able to perfect his bike riding skills.  He is getting pretty good!  Luke is very observant, and his teacher told me that when they went out for recess he yelled to everyone, "OH MY, IT IS A BEAUTIFUL DAY!".   They all got a kick out of that, and it sure put a smile on my face. 

This little lady also enjoyed the weather.  She loved watching her brother ride back and forth on the side walk, and people kept laughing at her sitting up on the driveway all by herself. =)  (I had to stay on the sidewalk to make sure Luke didn't dart into the street.) 

As always Audrey is a happy girl, even with some hurtin' wind blown hair.

The sandbox was also put to good use this week.

There is nothing better than being outside with two wonderful kids, even if one of them is a pirate.

My Funny Valentines

We had a wonderful Valentines Day or days I should say.  Luke had a party at school on Monday and Audrey was very excited that she would be able to attend.  Here she is in Valentine's outfit number one, before she spit up all over it.

And then Valentine's outfit number two. =)

Luke's class sang us some songs about love.  It was too cute!

Audrey quite enjoyed the performance!

And Luke was very excited his sister was there. Awww...*tear*.

On Tuesday "they" got to enjoy a special Valentine's Day picnic while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Luke's new favorite).

Luke was in awe of his heart-shaped sandwich.

"Say what...no heart-shaped sandwich for me?"

When Daddy got home, Luke got to open his special present.  It was extension tracks for his Thomas the Train set.  He wasted no time in setting it up. 

Please notice Audrey staring at her brother below.  She just thinks he is the greatest thing ever, and loves watching everything he does.  She is also a big fan of watching Thomas on the track. 

Valentine's Day concluded with our nightly bath, and Luke decided it would be a good time to join Audrey in her little tub.  No words...

Yes, he invaded her space, and then proceeded to whack her on the head.

Well at least he apologized. =) 

I just love my two little funny Valentines!

Sittin' Sister

Just wanted to document that our girl is a sitter!  She still tips over from time to time, but is getting better by the day.  It is opening a whole new world for her.  I love it!

Ernie

I have delayed this post for awhile now, but wanted to give a little update on our dog, Ernie.  Brian and I got Ernie when we moved into our house back in the fall of 2007.  He was the sweetest little thing, and we loved him to death but he had some anxiety issues that made having people over very stressful.  He was the perfect dog when it was just our little family at home, but the second a new person was introduced into the equation, he went crazy!  It was something we were able to work with, but fast forward 4 years plus the addition of two kids, and he was just too much to handle.  His anxiety seemed to worsen when Luke came into the picture, and then again with Audrey.  We hired a trainer and really tried to make it work, but in the end, we just couldn't give Ernie the attention he needed and decided to find him a new home.  We were very torn about this, and really didn't want to take him to a shelter or anything like that. 

I tried for several months to find him a new home without any luck, and then we found out that the in laws from a friend at church were interested in him.  They happened to be in town that weekend and wanted to see him.  We actually were at the lake at the time, but luckily had left Ernie with Brian's parents.  (I really see this as a blessing from God, because it was the ONLY time in four years that we had not brought him to the lake with us).  Well, they came to see him, decided they loved him, and ended up taking him right then and there.  We didn't get to say an official goodbye, but in the end, I think that made it easier.  This family had 2 dogs and were big time dog lovers, we were so excited!  Coming home to a dog free house was very weird, but as the week went by, it was apparent how much calmer our house had become.  The decision to find him a new home was the right one.  

Ernie had been gone for one week and I got a call...things weren't going so well.  I guess the pack order was all messed up and fights were breaking out.  They just couldn't keep him.  He was 6 hours away, and we couldn't take him back, so they were going to find him a new home.  This just broke my heart because we loved him and wanted him to be happy.  I know he is just a dog, and I did have that in perspective, but he was such a big part of our family for 4 years, that it was sad thinking that he wouldn't have a good life.  I prayed that they could find him a good home, and lo and behold, 2 days later I got a call that a retired couple's dog had just passed away, and they wanted Ernie!  He would be their only dog, and they could give him tons of attention.  We were beyond excited and so thankful. 

I know that in the scheme of life this is not a big deal, but I do think that God had a hand in this, because everything just worked out so perfectly.  Sometimes we think that God doesn't have time for the little stuff in life, but I really think this is an example of Him taking care of me, my emotions and our family by working through this situation.        

I recently got an update on Ernie, and he is doing great.  He lives in a small town in Oklahoma, and apparently his owners go to "the cafe" almost daily, and bring their leftovers for him. =)  It sounds like he is a spoiled little guy that is living the doggie dream!      

5 Months

Our sweet Audrey girl is 5 months old!  She is still just a delight and "the easiest baby ever".  So what is new this month?

• She is sleeping through the night!!  It took a little work, with crying it out for about a week, but I am happy to say she now sleeps about 12 hours straight almost every night.  From about 7-7.  It is AWESOME! 
• Taking 4 bottles a day and eats at least one solid meal a day, maybe two.  She has also had green beans and squash.  She liked the squash a lot more than then green beans.  When we are feeding her, she likes to grab hold of the spoon and try to feed herself.  It is super cute, but also makes for messy meals.  =)
• She is working on sitting.  We have gotten her to sit for at most like 2 minutes, but hey, I was impressed. ;)
• She is a rolling machine.  She squirms and rolls all over the place.
• Sleeps 90% of the time on her tummy.  At first I would try to roll her back, but even in a dead sleep, she would immediately roll back over.
• She has found her voice.  She likes to "scream", and at first it sounds like she is upset, but really she is just letting everyone know she is around. 
• Wears 6 month clothes, and size 2 diapers.  At night we were having major pee leaking problems because of the tummy sleeping, but we finally got it under control with a size 3 overnight diaper AND an insertable diaper pad.  Yikes, this girl pees a lot!

I can't believe she is almost half a year old.  Gosh, we just love her to pieces! 

Oh and Audrey Claire just told me she wants to give a shout out to her Uncle Rett.  Happy 25th Birthday!  We love you!