Our Week at Nana & Dada's

Our week at Nana & Dada's was beautiful. Not only did we have perfect weather, but it was just a great, relaxing time. It was so nice to be on the farm with lots of space. Oh, how I miss having a nice, big backyard!

We got to do so many fun things. Avery had a blast spending time in the pool, playing with her cousins and going to the barn to milk PJ. She even had her first sleepover with her cousin, Kayla! Ben was busy helping Bud around the farm and driving the tractor. As for me, I enjoyed relaxing and doing my favorite thing, baking! So with the freshest of ingredients and theabundance of fresh milk, I was inspired. From all the milk, I shook and shook and after about two hours, I (finally) had butter and buttermilk. With that, I made Raspberry-Blueberry Muffins, and then Diana and I made yogurt. Fun! That is my idea of vacation!

Ave watching the cows.

Doesn't she look happy?

Avery riding Soxy.

Aren't they cute?!

Avery, Landon & Hunter in the sandbox.

Just being silly!

Talk about relaxing!

Dada & Gray on the tractor.

Avery and Nattie playing "tea party".

Gray in the wagon.

...and on the mower.

On the horse at the Discovery Museum.

The Museum ROCKED! Even Gray loved it!

This one's for Papa! :)

Graysen is in love with water.

(Maybe even more than sister!)

Daddy and Gray in the pool.

Nashville!

After our beautiful week in Murray, we headed to Nashville for the night. Mom, Miss and Nanny were flying out early the next morning, Dad and Mike were headed back to Montana in the new motorhome and Ben, the kids and I were headed to Nana and Dada's for another week of vacation. So in between, to take a break from our vacation, we stayed the night in Nashville. We went to dinner, then ice cream, a great little carriage ride that toured us around downtown Nashville, then swimming at the hotel. It was a nice little "getaway".

Mike telling Ave all about the horse!

The tour!

Me & Gray at dinner

The Pacifier Flip

Gotta LOVE those cheeks!

Kentucky Fun, Part 1

So this is part one of like one thousand. Okay, so not really... but very close! As mentioned (many) times before, Ben loves to take LOTS of pictures. I do not love editing out the thousands of pictures of trees and cows, although I do cherish all the really great pictures he gets of the kids, so I guess it is all worth it!

We had an awesome trip to Kentucky and were so blessed to see both sides of the family. The first week, ridiculously hot and humid, was spent with my family and much extended family. Fun. Very fun times were had and lots of laughs at 1 o'clock in the morning while playing Wii Hula-Hoop! Between spending time at my cousin's lake house, the water park and lots of visiting, it was a great week!

Going for a ride in the Samuri.

ALL of us!

Nanny and the great-grandkids.

Cute kids, huh?

Me and Cord

Mom, Miss & me

Oh, these two. Anna and Avery were inseparable the whole week!

Graysen and Papa

Nana and Ave

Doing what we do best!

Kentucky-style swimming.

(a.k.a - in their undies!)

GrAySeN is EiGhT MoNtHs!

Trying to get away!

And I got him to stay still for a split second!

After almost three weeks of vacation, we are finally home and getting back into the routine of things. We had a great time in Kentucky visiting with all our family and we have so many great times and pictures to share but that's another day and another post!

Here we are again, another month gone and now Graysen is eight months old. He is now "crawling", he crawls like an inch worm, but he gets here he wants to go! In the past few weeks he has learned to wave, clap and sign the word 'more' and he now sleeps eleven hours straight through the night. I'm in heaven!

Best of Both Worlds

Avery has a love-hate relationship with mowing. She love, LOVES to be outside, but HATES the sound of the mower. Ben will go out and mow and she wants to out there so bad but she has very sensitive ears and the sound of the mower really bothers her. So here is Ben's fix to a very big (well, for a three year old) problem!

Preschool and Things

We did it. We took the plunge and finally enrolled Avery in preschool. She has been ready for quite some time, but as for me... not so much! She starts in August and will attend two days a week. She can hardly wait to start!

I have been working with her on her letters and handwriting for quite some time, but about a month ago it all clicked! She started writing her name and very well, I might add. (However, I might be just a little partial!)

She's so proud!

Don't you love the "e"?

Bath Duty!

Special thanks to Annie Miss for providing the "wardrobe" for these two cute kids.

Bath time has become quite the ordeal since Graysen started sitting up. Before, Avery wanted nothing to do with taking baths with her brother, however, now that he sits up and doesn't take up all the room she is thrilled with the idea!

(Well....until tonight, when he decided to poop. GROSS! Luckily for me, daddy had bath duty tonight!)

So...Soooo Tired

Graysen is in a tough phase right now, as he is transitioning out of three naps a day and only needing two. Sometimes that leaves him very sleepy and we have to distract him to keep him awake. But today....

....There was NO keeping him awake!

Graysen is SeVeN MoNtHs!

We have had so much going on that six months was here and gone, and now we are on to seven! In the past month, Gray has really hit a growth spurt. He just started scooting on the floor to get where he wants to go and he'll pull himself forward to get what he wants. Not sure if I am ready for this?! We are SO enjoying getting to know his little personality. God has given him a sweet, loving personality and it is such a blessing to watch him grow in that!

He is obviously WAY more interested in Aardvark than taking pictures!

Memorial Day Weekend

Ben got home on Saturday from his long week of recovering, so in perfect time to enjoy the beautiful, long weekend. Sunday we headed toward Santa Barbara and spent some time at the beach, which went from being a good idea for family fun to a horrible sand nightmare. Avery was throwing sand (with Ben's not-so recovered eyes) probably wasn't the greatest idea and then there was Gray who was getting upset that his pacifier was covered in sand and everything that you could use to clean it off with was also covered in sand... But, through all the wildness, we really enjoyed getting out! Then on Monday, we set up the pool in the backyard, so much fun and SO much cleaner! Both of them really enjoyed being in the water and Ben and I enjoyed getting some (much needed) sun. This was the definitely the most relaxing weekend we've had in a long time!