Plus One

We offered to watch Noah so that our friends Matt and Evie could enjoy an evening out. It was supposed to be a sleepover and I think all parties were nervous as to how it would all play out.

 Noah played with the camera in the car.

 Reese took notes.

 We took the crew to Dairy Queen.

 Before the ice cream started to melt.

 Melting is starting.

 Now we're melting.

 Really melting.

 Time to burn off the sugar.

 Aidan takes forever to finish his treat, so he and Daryl discussed current events while Noah and Reese played.

 Did you lose your slipper, Cinderella?

 Aidan is still working on it.

 Aidan joins the crew.

 Cheese!

 Snug as a bug...Waiting for the movie to start.

 Watching the movie.

Matt and Evie's night ended early and they came by to pick up Noah, but not before Matt gave everyone a ride.

Batter UP!

I signed Aidan up for T-ball with the YMCA. 

 The bright blue Toy Story glove is his.

If you've seen Chicken Little, you know why I giggle when I see him with that gigantic helmet on. He looks just like Chicken Little when he runs the bases.

I don't know how the coaches kept them all in check. I resisted the urge to yell from the sidelines. I don't want to be THAT parent.

 Team photo. The second kid in the first row is Aidan.

 Reese and I watched from the sidelines in our pink fold up chairs.

The award ceremony on the last day of practice. It wasn't until the about the 4th kid came up to accept his trophy that I realized that their names were not engraved on their trophy and that Coach Mike was just pretending to look at the brass plate to make it seem like it. This is good news because the coaches referred to Aidan as "Batman."

Proud of his trophy.

EAT MOR CHIKIN

If you do not have a Chick-Fil-A near you, I am sorry. I love this place. The food is fantastic! Love the chicken, love the Polynesian sauce, love the waffle fries, love the outstanding customer service. There is only one free standing CFA in St. Louis and it is all the way out in Chesterfield. They are closed on Sundays, so I almost never was able to get there. During my "stay-at-home mom" time, I was able to get there a lot more.  Luckily for me, my friend Evie loves CFA more than I do and she's always will to make the journey to Chesterfield.

This particular visit is a milestone because it was the first time Reese made it to the top of the indoor playground. She is now 3 years old and up until this visit, she's never been more than 2 feet off the ground in an indoor playground. Aidan was doing this by 13 months, so I figured it just wasn't her thing and I let it go.

 Can you see her inside the tire?

Reese and Noah are inside the car. They have a volatile relationship, so Evie and I were worried that they would have a "disagreement" and one of us would have to get up in there and break it up.

 A very blurry picture of Noah.

She was so proud of her accomplishment! I was nervous that she wouldn't be able to get down.

Take Two Dog Biscuits and Call Me in the Morning

I recently took the dogs to the vet. Thankfully we are in walking distance from the local vet, so I loaded the kids in the double stroller and had one leash in each hand and walked the 0.8 miles to the vet (in suburb terms this actually equals about 2,000 miles) and add the fact that it was about 100 degrees outside would be the reason for the looks of amazement on the faces of the people inside the vet's office when I walked in with my entourage.

In preparation for our visit, I explained to Aidan and Reese that we were taking Tyson and Haley to the doctor. They both asked why the dogs needed to see the doctor. When I explained it to them, they asked if they could have their "animals" checked out too. Sure, why not?  So Aidan brought his Build A Bear Puppy.

Reese brought her cow, appropriately named, "Moo."

Aidan: Don't worry, buddy, shots only hurt a little bit and then you get a sticker!










Waiting to have our friends checked out.

Everyone left with a clean bill of health - not exactly true. Haley needs about $500 in dental work. REALLY? She's a dog. Does she need braces too?

When I arrived back home, I realized that in all my planning to make sure I was able to make the journey, I forgot the house keys. CRAP! I also forgot my mobile phone. DOUBLE CRAP!
Now what?

I tried the code on the garage. It doesn't always work, in fact it almost NEVER works. I tried it over and over again. I continued to pray and I could say I was sweating because it was so hot, but really it was panic setting in. 85th times a charm...the garage door opened! HALLELUJAH!

Say Cheese!

I dream of owning a good camera. You know one of the black ones made by Canon. The one that doesn't slide into your pocket. The one that you need a strap for and a camera bag. The one that when you see someone with it, you know that they know what they are doing. Maybe they don't, but they sure do look the part. I want to be one of those people. I hate my current camera. It takes too long to snap the photo, the resolution is terrible and overall it takes awful pictures. It is green and cute and no one thinks that I know what I'm doing when I whip it out of my pocket to attempt to capture pictures of my kids.

My friend Shawn has the camera that I dream of owning. I have camera envy whenever I see her taking photos. She takes great pictures. She'll say she doesn't know what she's doing, maybe its just the camera. Who knows. She really looks the part and her pictures are great!

Shawn let Aidan take a few shots with her camera.

Mini-Me is 3!

Our princess Reese is 3 years old! I know it sounds cliche, but it seems like yesterday we were just bringing her home from the hospital. She is blossoming into such a sweet, loving little girl. She could still kill you with her dirty looks and she'd punch you in the face if you look at her the wrong way, but now she's hugging and kissing and telling us that she loves us (about 100 times a day). She likes to dance around in tutus and loves shoes and purses. I don't get tired of people telling me she is a mini-me.

Her birthday party turned out perfect (well, almost perfect, it was about 200 degrees outside). So many of our friends and family braved the heat to celebrate her Garden Party themed birthday party.

Table decor - watering cans filled with flowers, grass placemats.

Sunflowers and pinwheels up the front walkway.

Reese's outfit. My friend Evie made the t-shirt and I made the flower bow.

The party favor - bubbles, soil and seeds. The tag reads, "Reese Darcie Gourley, growing wild since July 19, 2007."

The yummy treats.

Painting project. We painted flower pots.

Cousins Elijah and Tristian

My friend Amy reminded everyone that the first rule of painting is "do not mix the paints."

Carson.

Lila, who ironically was the only other girl at Reese's very girlie Garden Party.

Time for presents!

 Jameson and Reese.

Birthday girl enjoys a slice of birthday cake on the special Birthday plate.It was a great party and a great day with our friends! She was so excited about her party and she had so much fun!