Devon: July

That face. Whatever I may be feeling at any moment can be instantly improved by looking at this sweet face.

Fresh squeezed carrot juice shots. Clink!

I try and take the kids out separately on the weekend and Devon and I love to go to a kids store (Lil Traders is a resale shop)and get a smoothie. Look how happy he is to get blended mangoes.

I got him these official Buzz Lightyear wings at the kids store before mama went over to Buffalo Exchange (a grown up resale shop). He was very serious about his role as a space ranger. Don't forget the boots!

"Look mom, I'm all tucked in with Sam!"

Hangin' out.

He took all the blankets off his bed, dragged them to the couch and declared that he was all tucked in his cave and he was ready to watch a show.

I love to see the love between these two. It's so sweet. Daddy lets Devon help him open oysters and we hang out and watch daddy eat them :) Oysters make me puke. Devon will eat them raw and cooked and says he likes them. Can't believe he is so brave to try such unusual food and actually like it.

Such a boy with his space sheets and Spiderman shirt. EVERY shirt must have a super hero on it or he won't wear it.

Swingin '

Kick

So brave to go down the tube slide by himself.

No hands!

Devon and Audrey are classic siblings. They fight, of course, but have these tender little moments that are so surprising and sweet. Then they throw hand fulls of sand at each other and the cycle continues :)

Audrey: July (2 years old)

Can't believe my little Dolly is two.

All the cliches about motherhood are true. Where does the time go?!?!?! Ugh. In this picture Audrey decided that 2:30 meant that it was time for a diaper change, some milk and some playing :)

Audrey hates to watch her daddy shave. It terrifies her. Maybe it's the shaving cream, I don't know, but it terrifies her. So much so that she runs away in literal tears, covers her face with her blanket and often hides under a table or in a closet. Poor dolly.

Since it has been so hot and the parks aren't really an option to get out all that kid energy, we go to the indoor mall play place about once a week. I have been working up to being there for two hours and the kids just go crazy jumping and climbing on the equipment.

Audrey loves Elmo, reading books, playing "games" (meaning toys)dancing to music and climbing on mama and daddy's bed.

She is my little "rough and tumble" girl and will play with swords just as much as she will play with dolls. The perks of having an older brother, I suppose.

I hope that my babies grow up knowing that their birthday is an important day to me because it's the day that I became their mom and THEY became my baby. I wasn't planning on having a birthday party this year. I don't think kids, especially at this age, need a party every year. What started out as let's-invite-just-family-over-for-cake-and-ice-cream is essentially a party because if every one comes it's about 26 people. So 26 people or not, I would have decorated the house just like this.

I love to decorate the living room because it feels like a party for about a week until I take every thing down. I made a bunch of paper flowers and strung up balloons.

Joe and I put balloons in their rooms when we wake them up. It's our tradition. I plan on doing this until they leave the house so they better get used to it! Hopefully next year she won't cry in terror :)

Audrey drew this during breakfast and declared,"It's a M!".Genius baby doll.

So proud of herself.

Playing in Devon's room and being dramatic.

Love that smile!

Pretty hair.

So independent.

She wouldn't go down the slide with out holding hands with someone and Devon was more than happy to take on such an important job. She would kind of pull him down the slide, but they both loved it. They are very sweet to each other ... when they're not fighting :)

Breakfast of champions ... donuts on a string with out using your hands. First doughnut might as well be on your birthday, right? Such a party girl!

Nailed it.

Hit up story time to round out the day.

Pretty party dress!

Let's open some presents!

What could it be?

It's Elmo! (I've got my eye on you, daddy :)

Funny faces.

I made a four layer, pink ombre cake. No one really ate it, but I guess that's because I made four different types of home made ice cream and who wants cake when you have home made butter pecan? Audrey blew out her candles and I think the "non party family gathering" went well.

Happy birthday my darling daughter.

Devon: June

Devon is such a musical little boy. I have no doubt that he will be able to sing when he gets older and will probably be able to play an instrument with ease.

He loves to take pictures on my phone and any camera anyone will let him use. I love his perspective and what he is able to capture that I otherwise wouldn't. That's me :)

One morning I got him out of bed and he had this strange bite on his ear. It looked like a blister. His whole ear swelled up, was hot to the touch and was really red. We were so concerned we nearly took him to the hospital. I know that sounds like an overreaction, but there are plenty of venomous things in the desert that are poisonous you can't always "wait and see". After talking to his pediatrician we decided to wait until the next day and it got much better over night. He got several of these over the next few weeks, and we got the house sprayed hoping that these bites would stop.

Devon is very helpful in grandpa's garden and is so responsible that grandpa lets him use his very special pocket knife to cut a few cucumbers. Would you trust your 3 year old with a knife?

The glory of the harvest!

Devon pretty much wears these "monkey boots" every where we go. They make him sweaty, but he doesn't care. He gets so much attention with them and is learning how to accept a compliment since everyone seems to love his boots.

Audrey: June (23 months)

Audrey loves to wear grown up shoes.

She loves to play at the Children's museum and explore with her brother. I took her there without him once and she kept saying,"Devon? Devon?" In spite of how much he hassels her, she loves to be around him.

If it involves dirt and mud Audrey is all in. She doesn't even mind getting covered in it or sitting in a huge pile of it.

Like any kid, she loves to wear, and stretch out, my sunglasses.

"So pretty."

She likes to (eat) paint and put on lip gloss. It's unfortunate when these two world collide.

Audrey is very hands on with animals and giggles when seeing them up close at the zoo. She goes right up to dogs and waves hello. We are working on asking where it is ok to pet them.

Although she won't eat any, Audrey really enjoys her weekly visits out to grandma and grandma's (grandpa)garden to pick tomatoes.

She loves her grandparents and asks me to call and talk to them all the time.