Our brand new niece!!!

Josie Mae!!  How cute is that name?  She's the first born baby to Marks brother, Matt, and his wife Katie. After an awesome pregnancy (well as awesome as they get!) and a ridiculously looong labor, she was born this morning around 1 am. She was 7lbs 9oz and 20 inches tall. She's adorable, has dark brown hair and the classic blue/grey eyes.  She has crazy long eyelashes and the oh-so yummy little baby feet that you just want to kiss all day long.  I love her already and have only met her once! She's the first cousin to my kids on Marks side, making it three little lovies 3 and under.  Its going to be a nut house once she's up and moving! With her parents, and the rest of her family to learn from, she's going to be a hysterical and outgoing little lady that no one will be able to get enough of!!

Congratulations Matt and Katie!  You got a precious gift today and are going to be awesome parents to her. And even better, she's going to be the perfect daughter for you. She's going to teach you more then you can imagine and mold you into new people that even you didn't know you could be. You've done good, guys!! Welcome to the family Josie! Sorry in advance!! :)

Happy Half Birthday Avery!

Avery,

Wow, your 18 months old, Little Lady! You've been my daughter for a year and a half, how can that be true? Didn't I just bring you home a few days ago?  You came home as a brand new baby with a whole blank future ahead of you.  And just in these past 18 months you have grown into this huge personality! I never could have imagined the spunky, funny, stubborn, loving little girl you would turn into. Daddy and I are always looking at you and wondering how you are a product of us!  Your way to good to be ours, but you sure are a keeper!  

But anyway, keep on growing and learning and having fun in this wonderful little world of yours.  And promise me you'll never stop loving your big brother the way you love him now.  My heart grows with happiness everyday to see you laugh at his jokes, copy his every move and chase him around the house.  Best friends from the minute he saw you in the hospital.  

I love you Ave!!
Mommy









Little Stuff:
Weight: 21lbs 12oz (13%)
Height: 30in (14%)
Saying many more words and doing more tricks.  She's a total mommies girl at the moment, but still loves daddy, but wants me to do everything for her.  Obsessed with her Pinkie Bear and won't sleep with out it.  She has a new little baby doll and plays with her all.the.time!! She will eat most foods, but recently decided she doesn't like cake, of all things!!  She's still taking a paci (calls it a "bupee") and a night time bottle (bad mom!) She loves the beach and finally loves to be in the water.  More stuff, but I'm tired!     

Playday

With my nephew Ryan!  Aside from being just cousins, Ryan is Cam's full out bestie.  It's so funny to see them together.  Their personalities compliment each other so well, that somehow, in the crazy moods of preschoolers, they get along perfectly almost all of the time!  Sort of like twins, they have their own little way to play together that is only between them.  Both my sister and I don't see this part of their personalities come out with any of their other friends.  They have their own rituals, their own games and their own way of knowing what the other wants to do next.  Its hysterical.  They are five months apart, so they don't know life without each other. Since they were really young, they have been partners in crime to the max!  We are so screwed when they get older. We live in the same town, too, so we are just dreading the day that we get calls within 2 minutes of each other, telling us to pick up our boys for egging someones house or something!  

I hope they keep this strong connection for life. I hope they always have each other's back and protect each other from other kids.  I want Cam to sit at the nut free table with Ryan, even though he doesn't have to.  I want Ryan to encourage Cameron to try out sports and for them to be on teams together.  I want them to be in each others weddings and to raise their kids as tight friends, just like they are.  I don't want their bond to break.  They were born as each others first and best friends, and I hope they stay that way.  These little boys make me so proud.

Oh and the play day? Tons of fun.  See? (I doubled a pic, but I don't feel like switching it.)

 

I'm Breaking the Rules

Don't tell on me. It's the middle of the day and I'm on my computer! Oops! I made a vow to leave the computer sleeping until my kids are sleeping and I always do it. Until today. My tummy hurts. So now I'm sitting here letting the kids ruin my house. You think I'm joking, but every toy in the play room has made it out into the dining room and living room. I'm surprised they can even walk around! Avery is sporting a tool belt, with a brush hanging off and feeding her Pinkie Bear with a pair of pliers. I think it's time for me to stop handing down the toys and just get her some girlie girl ones! And Cam, crazy, pants-free Cam! He's filling up his ride on John Deer tractor with train tracks in the play room and carting them into the living room over and over again and making the hugest, most intricate Thomas railway I've ever seen!! And I'm watching The Chew, wishing All My Children was still on and hoping this belly ache goes away before Mark gets home so that he still thinks being a stay at home mom is tough work, and not just me sitting on my butt while the kids cause a ruckus! BUT, for now, I'm just gonna break the rules and check some blogs and watch the kids in their silly, carefree ways because they are little and allowed to be crazy, even if it's only sometimes :)

Mini Vacation, without dad!

Well, sort of!  My parents were spending the week at the Cape house, so after we were home from Maine for a day, I decided to go down to the Cape for the rest of the week.  Since Mark had to work, he couldn't stay with us, but decided to give commuting back and forth some of the nights a try.  A lot of the time was major low-key: hanging out at the house, taking walks to the beach to go swimming and going out for lots of meals, just what we needed!  It was so laid back I only took my camera out twice! Once, when we went to the Sandwich Town Boardwalk one afternoon when Mark wasn't coming back for the night and again when we took the kids out on the new boat for the first time.  It was Avery first time out on any boat actually!

It's a lot of pictures, so beware!!

Part of the boardwalk

 Tootsies

 The dunes

 On the boat.  She didn't even mind the life jacket, which Cameron hated at her age!

 Captain Cam

 Riding along with Mimi

 Wedgie straps, lol

 Jumping of the boat

 Climbing back in

 "I'm in and your not!"

 Papa checking up on us

 The grandparents with some of the babes

 Oh yeah, she got bored!

 I guess I took the camera out three times!

 Sibling hugs :)

Sorry it was so looong!  At least I didn't post all of them!

We Made It!

And we had a great time!  Well, after we had a kind of crappy ride up, with Avery crying on and off and Cameron asking his constant questions.  BUT, once we got there, it was fun! We had dinners outside, watched the schooners sail by, and laughed while Cam stared in awe as the the famous Pirate John juggled his knives. We swam in the ocean and played in the sand, building castles with Avery and turning Cam into a mer-man. We went to an air show at Owls Head and road the coveted Thomas the Tank at The Boothbay Railway.  We spent the evenings walking into town for ice cream, the kids wearing their adorable jammies. We watched the Olympics, cuddled with the kids, and went to bed early.  It was exciting and relaxing all in one. It was our first time up to Camden, but we are already thinking of what to do next time we go up.  We had a blast, the kids had a blast and I hope Googa and Papa had a blast, too!  

Playing with Mark's trains from the 80's

 My little princess pig tail

 Pirate John, catching his lemon on the knife

 My Mer-man!

 Avery with her Googa

 He was serious about his plane!

 Right before he kicked his Croc over the fence in excitement.  Oops!

 Train ride for hicks!  Love it!

 Yeah, my eye looks funky, but its just my glasses on weird!  But its the only pic of me from the whole four day weekend!!

On our way!!

So, we are in the car, on our way to Maine for a long weekend! The in-laws bought a vacation house in Camden, a little town on the coast, and this will be our first time up! Since they've had the house in, like, a year! Bad, bad, bad, I know. But anyway, this will be Avery's first time in the car for longer then an hour at a time. Eek! So it should be interesting. I have the DVDs stocked, a basket of toys packed and a BIG supply if snacks and drinks in arms reach. I even have a bucket next to Cam, just in case the long ride of snacks and playing causes any grossness. And what do you know, 15 minutes in and the babies are asleep! No complaining here, yet. We will see when this two baby bearing bladder needs a break and my stomach starts screaming for food! Once the car stops, Avery is a screamer! So wish us luck! Should be fun!!