Trevor's (almost) 4year Preschool Pic

Our handsome little man with a twinkle in his eye :) We love you so much Trevor...the way that you love to have family hugs, always want to take family pictures, watch over your baby sister so much so that the second she starts to fuss you run over and give her kisses and hugs and sing until she laughs, how inquisitive you are about everything, how smart and logical you are, how you can just look at toys at the store without begging to get one all of the time, the way that you rock your crazy hair, your crazy puzzle and Lego putting-together skills, the list goes on and on.  XOXO

Ashley weight check and Batman

On Monday, Ashley went in for a weight check and 2nd flu shot.  Well good news all around....she didn't even cry for her shot and her weight is 17lbs 12oz which is 10oz more than she was 6 weeks ago.  Yay!  Still clearly allergic to dairy (has rash from some baby Mum Mums that had milk in them and who knows what Sara ate over the weekend) so the doctor wants Sara to bring soy yogurt to one year appointment on 11/18 to try.  Cross your fingers that she handles that okay!  

And our little Batman....he actually asked to get a shot!  Crazy boy!  The doctor said she's never heard a kid ask for a shot before.  Well, he'll get his wish at his 4 year well check.  Apparently he gets four shots then.  Ouch!

"Work" Weekend

Brian had his annual work weekend at the Four Seasons resort this past weekend...although the weekend for Sara and kids really started early Friday.  Sara volunteered to move her pedicure to Friday morning and spread out the festivities.  John and Pauline are so generous to watch the kids all weekend.  Although they would say they are lucky to get to spend special time with their grandkids.  Love!

 After that Sara, Pauline and kids tried out a new spot for lunch in Carefree.  Sara's burger was good but that was about it.  That's okay though.  It's more about the company than the food!  Trevor didn't want his picture taken but we got a peek of him anyway!

 After lunch we headed to the area where Pauline gets her haircut to check out a potential photo spot for their Christmas card picture we take over Thanksgiving.  There sure were a lot of good spots for photos!

 An art fair was going on with live music and we had a hard time getting Trevor to leave because he loved listening to the music!

 On Friday evening we packed and Ashley must have known something was up because she was perfectly content just cuddling for close to 30 minutes before closing her eyes.  Mommy soaked this up!  This would be Mommy's first night away from her baby since she was born.

 On Saturday we dropped Daddy off at golf before Mommy took the kids to Grandma and Papa John's house.  Thankfully they live super close to the resort so Mommy could go back and forth to nurse Ashley throughout the day.  Mommy also got a massage and got to relax a bit by the pool before Daddy got back from golf.  Quite the view of Pinnacle Peak!

 John and Pauline brought the kids to the resort before Brian's work cocktail reception started so we could say goodnight.  We got the call they arrived so we went to meet them.  When we left the room we came out to beautiful light so a double 'selfie' was in order!

And after we finally met up we got a quick group pic!

 And one last pic of our family before the kids and Grandparents headed to our house for an overnight.  We figured if they spent the night at our house, Ashley may sleep better.  The princess likes her own bed and room :)

Although we heard the next morning that Grandma ended up sleeping on Ashley's floor because the monitor didn't work and Ashley got up a few times.  Stinker!   

We got home around 9:30am on Sunday and went to church and out to breakfast before heading out to another "work" event....the Cardinals game.  Thankfully the Cardinals won...unlike the awful Vikings. Why we waste time watching the Vikings is beyond us.  Although they started out strong which was fun to see.  Anyhoo, we digress.  Thank you Grandma Pauline and Papa John for watching the kids so that we could spend the weekend doing Brian's work events.  We had a wonderful time and are glad that you four had fun too.  Trevor is wondering when the next sleepover can happen...which is a testament to how much fun he had!  XOXO

Halloween Party at the Clubhouse

 Our clubhouse had their annual Halloween party last week and boy was it fun!  350 attendees sounds like a big number but they know how to spread out the festivities so that it doesn't seem like that many people.

Trevor decided he was going to be Super Trevor for the event.  Not Superman....Super Trevor because Super Trevor wears jammies according to Trevor.  Ha!  Just another secret ploy to wear jammies!!!

 We met his friend Brayden there!  These two are becoming quite the pals!  Brayden reminds us so much of Sam so our hearts are full anytime we get to see him.  And not sure we ever posted the story but Brayden lived right behind Sam in MN and they were good friends. Now they moved to AZ and live in our community and we get to see them often! 

 Trevor decided that Ashley was going to be a princess for this party and boy was she anything but a princess.  She was quite the grump as you can see from her demeanor in this pic.  She is getting two molars in but still!  Princesses should smile :)

Trevor's favorite activity for the night?  Decorating little pumpkins. He couldn't wait for Daddy to get home to show them to him! 

Soccer Star

Trevor finished his soccer session with Coach Beth and did a great job!  He's going to take after his Daddy, Uncle Jeff and cousin Lauren with his soccer skills.  Although he isn't so sure he wants to keep playing.  We'll see...he's signed up for one more session and then decide what's next! 

La Casa Country Fair

Trevor's preschool had their annual country fair this past week.  Trevor wasn't yet attending La Casa last year when the country fair was held so it was extra exciting to see this wonderful event this year.  When Mommy dropped Trevor off in the morning she told him that other Moms and Dads would be coming back for the country fair but she wouldn't be because Ashley had to go home to nap.  He understood but boy was he surprised when Mommy surprised him and came!  Apparently Ashley didn't want to miss out on the fun either :)

The gym was packed with activities for the kids and it looked like a good old country hoe-down complete with hay on the ground!

First up was a bean bag toss and Trevor nailed it from 5 feet away.  The volunteers said they'd never seen a 3 year old make it from that distance on the first try.  We may or may not have a future quarterback on our hands :)

 A duck pond...

 Trevor and our neighbor Stella.  Angie, Stella's Mom was trying to get Trevor to put his arm around her and well this is how that turned out!

 A wishing well...

 A bull ring...and yep our great thrower got it on the horns the first time!

Over by the horse Trevor and Stella met up again.  This time he put his arm around her but kept his distance.  Reminded us of a middle school dance :)  Angie got a cute pic though so if she sends it we'll update the blog!

 Trevor LOVED this horse.  It responded to the kids touching it..blinked, moved his tail and head.  So cute.  (No we don't want one for a birthday or Christmas gift though!)

 A barn!

 A quick pic with his sister who so wanted out of her infant carrier!!!

 A pic on another horse!

 A quick pic with Mommy.  He was less than excited about that!

 A rocking horse!

 And a quick class pic!  Mrs. Mac is on the upper left and Mrs. Webb (who also babysits for us) is on the bottom right. 

We are so lucky that Trevor goes to such an amazing preschool with such loving and caring staff.  He loves going to school and we feel good sending him there.  And he's making such good friends there...win!

Operation Real Food

 Ashley is eating real food like a pro!  Which is great!  Technically she's been eating food cut up for months but it usually just a part of the meal with the main course being rice cereal or oatmeal with baby food.  She's really adjusting great.  She even took down two apple slices, skin and all, while waiting for big brother to come out of school.

Such a big girl!

 New this week is toast with some strawberry jelly on it.  She's a huge fan! (Although we will have to monitor a reaction to wheat because she is rather congested after having it.  Cross your fingers it is something else, like a small cold!)

Ashley and Trevor really love the fact that they now eat at the same time and eat most of the same things.  Ahh...they are growing up too fast!

School

Trevor really loves playing school and completing his special workbook that Nana Jeanne bought him.  Sometimes he gets off track and draws pictures of his family, which is a-okay with this Mommy 'teacher.'  He is so cute drawing each one out in full detail, explaining as he goes...'This is Daddy he has big hands and tall legs.  Sometimes he wears glasses so here are his glasses.'  So precious!

Happy Heavenly Birthday Randle

Today would have been Randle's birthday so we spent some time looking through his scrapbook and reminiscing about all the fun times he had including his past birthdays.  

We hope the angels sang him a heavenly tune of Happy Birthday and that he had a great time running around pain free.  We hope he also knows how much he is missed.  It just isn't the same without him. 

 XOXO Randle.  We love you!

PS We're pretty sure though that he is smiling knowing that he won't have to dress up in some crazy Halloween costume this year.  He so used to hate that!! 

Gabriella's Halloween Party

 Our neighbor Gabriella had her annual Halloween party on Sunday afternoon/evening and boy was Trevor ready to p-a-r-t-y with his friends.

After declaring he was going to be Buzz again this year (which we said no to), he decided to be an airplane.  Well that only lasted a few days because then he had to be Superman.  Which we secretly thought was just a big ploy to wear his jammies to the party but nope, he somehow remembered that he had footy Superman jammies that would suffice but when it was too hot for those he said he had his t-shirt he could wear.   Such a smart boy!  

Well after that was decided, the whole family joined in on the superheroes theme.  Ashley would be Batgirl, Mommy would be Wonder Woman and Daddy would be Robin.  Trevor was so excited that his baby sister was Batgirl!

 Gabriella's Halloween party is just for 'Mummies and their kids' so Daddy went golfing with Papa John and Grandma Pauline while Mommy and the kiddos walked across the street in their superhero costumes!

 Lisa, Gabriella's Mom is such a good party planner.  So many activities and food...Sara joked that she was hiring Lisa to plan Trevor's birthday party!  Trevor skipped a lot of the activities though because he was perfectly content stringing his Halloween necklace for what seemed like eternity.  It did turn out pretty good though!

And Ashley?  Well she was just fine looking all cute sitting where all the activity was going on!

 Other neighbors, Annastyn and Maci, were there too!  Becky (their Mom) is pregnant with #3 (due at the end of January) and doesn't know what they are having.  Although Sara predicts boy and Sara has yet to guess incorrectly for any friend or family member!

 One of the activities that all of the kids paid attention to was story time!  Stella Grace (ie, Little Red Riding Hood) is another 3 year old neighbor two doors down.  Trevor and Stella Grace are in the same preschool class too!  The fifth 3 year old in our cluster of 5 houses is Addison who was at the party for a bit before leaving because he tummy hurt.  Poor girl!

 Another activity is a fashion show.  Last year Trevor was too shy to go through....not this year!  What a stud!

 As darkness came upon us, the disco lights and boogie music came on!  Trevor loved dancing.  One time when Mommy was inside (getting some more wine) he came inside saying 'Mommy, will you dance with me?' Of course!  Anytime!!

One other Trevor quote we don't want to forget from the Halloween party is when Sara mentioned she was going inside to grab a drink.  Well Trevor busts into the house announcing loudly, and over and over that 'Mommy needs wine' He sure knows how to take care of his Mom :)

Happy early Halloween everyone!  Stay clear of witches and ghouls!

What a week!

 We have been busy, busy around here!  Part of that is because our little princess is on the go so there is no rest for the weary but we wouldn't have it any other way!  Ashley causes some trouble opening and closing cabinet doors but now we taught her which cabinet is all hers.  

Saturday was the Fall neighborhood garage sale so we set up shop again.  It didn't take nearly as long to set up as last time because we had left everything on hangers.  It wasn't as busy as the Spring one but we still did pretty good considering we just had clothes and some of the Hillins' baby things. 

 Grandma Pauline ended up coming to get Trevor around 11am and taking him for the afternoon so we had some quality time with Ashley.  What did she want to do?  Play with big brother's toys without getting scolded by him!

 And play with Mommy's water bottle....which she's been drinking from for months!

 Saturday night the Hillins' babysat the kiddos so that we could celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary.  Brian had planned a romantic dinner but we got a late start and missed the sunset view the restaurant was known for so we ended up turning around and going back to our old stomping grounds of City North.  We ate at Modern Margarita and then headed to Blu Martini for you guessed it...martinis...and a great band!  Note to self: If you order the 'cake pop martini' and the server warns you that it is 'interesting' - heed her advice and order something else.  Although it did have sprinkles so that made it kinda good!

 There is no doubt that Ashley is right handed.  Big girl is ready to start writing!

 She also enjoys playing doctor and seems to already know where the thermometer goes!

 Trevor has been pretty vocal about missing Randle and has channeled his doggie love to his new 'doggie' who he has named Randle.  Randle goes everywhere we do and Trevor is sure to make sure he gets enough water and food throughout the day.

 Ashly has been falling asleep in her infant carrier on the way home from dropping Trevor off at preschool.  The question always is...leave her in or take her out.  Luckily she transfers to her crib pretty good so far!

 Our friend Kim gave Trevor some of the 'Wizard of Oz' happy meal characters and the guy has been on a hunt ever since to get all 6 of them!  Well he did pretty good and got all but one - Dorothy - who was the first one released.  So, we surprised him and ordered it off ebay.  Trevor was so excited when Dorothy arrived in the mail!

 In an attempt to get Ashley off of all baby food by her 1st birthday we're starting slowly but surely by steaming some of the veggies she's had before and cutting into small pieces.  She's already a pro at fruits.  Some meals are better than others but we think she'll do just fine achieving the goal!  It's easier said than done when you are on allergen watch.

 Ashley does a great job playing independently...although if Trevor is around, the two are inseparable.  She is such a girly-girl!

 She loves playing with the activity cube.  She pulls herself up to dominate the bead section.  By the way, since when did she start looking like she's 3 years old??

 Her latest trick in the last few weeks is to point!  She cracks herself up when doing it.  If you ask her to point at something, she will do it.  She's such a smart girl!

 On Tuesday Grandma Pauline came over while Sara got her hair colored at home.  What a treat!  Having your hair done at home so you don't have to leave!  So nice though that Grandma Pauline came over to keep an eye on the kids so that it was somewhat relaxing.  Grandma Pauline likes working with Ashley to walk.  Someday it will happen.  We're not concerned.  In researching on 'Dr. Google' they say that babies who crawl longer before walking are actually smarter.  Well, hello....they are pretty smart to know that if they don't know how to walk they will be picked up and carried around.  Who can blame them?

 Trevor is back into his phase of wanting to hold Ashley and get a pic taken together.  Our hearts melt seeing this!

 After Ashley gets up in the morning and nurses she loves reading books by herself.  She's such a little poser!  Love the arms crossed!

 Not sure why we buy toys when cheap ECFE toys from MN totally suffice.  An old ice cream bucket and orange juice lids kept A occupied for an hour!

 We went to Old Navy for some leggings for Ashley and of course Trevor scored a Ring Pop.  He was so proud and wanted a pic taken of himself by all of the people.  Ha!

 On Friday afternoon Brian had some of his Director counterparts over to the house for an off-site meeting so Sara and the kids headed over to Adam and Cole's house to play.  They were babysitting Beckett for the night so Trevor got to play with him when the Jansen family left to have their family pictures taken.  Ashley had no problem hanging with the boys playing away!

 Beckett and Trevor get along so well!  They kept busy, busy, busy mainly playing 'hi ya' outside!

 After their family pictures they all came over to our house for dinner.  The boys watched a movie while the adults had a yummy grilled meal outside.  It's so nice having them so close!  Although there is a chance they will be moving because of Mike's job....so we need to mentally prepare for that day :(

 On Saturday we went to our clubhouse's monthly bagels and brew.  Trevor loves, loves, loves that event as he really enjoys loading up on donuts and Daddy's bagel with 'frosting' (aka cream cheese).  This time Trevor and his friend Bennett went in Kids Korner for 30 minutes so that the adults could actually chat.  So nice!  Afterward we went to the playground for a quick swing.  The iphone isn't fast enough to show how high Daddy swings his boy!

 We had a lot of fun on our family day Saturday!  Trevor and Daddy spent a while doing wheelbarrow!

 After naps we ventured out to do some shopping.  While Mommy fed baby Ashley, these two kids at heart played airplane racing on any surface that worked like a ramp!

 Later at the mall Ashley was sure she was a big kid.  Crawling and scooting and standing at the play area.

 So much fun!!

 Pretty sure we have two little hams on our hands.  Say cheese!

After the mall we headed to Pita Jungle for dinner and could not believe that Ashley was the first one to start eating and the last one to finish.  Our little porker downed the food we brought for her in record time then had some of Mommy's pita then most all of Trevor's carrots and chicken!  After that she was in food coma!  And another thing we don't want to forget from dinner is the cute picture Trevor drew of his family!! 

 And last but not least on Sunday we took a family walk (after going to the playground for Trevor to run around and play soccer and stomp rocket only to determine he was a grouch) so Mommy and Daddy decided that we got to decide what we were going to do then and we said walk!  Ashley got to try shoulders for the first time and loved it!  

So that's our week (and a few days in review).  Whew!