7 Months and 23 Months

These girls. They are just precious and it is SO much fun watching them interact with each other and learn about each other.

Lyla

• likes to say "Awhhh AWA" when Ava is crying 
• Likes to give AND take Ava's pacifier
• She puts together sentences. Really in the last few months she has blossomed into quite the toddler. 
• Knows quite a few of her numbers and alphabet! Smartie pants. :) 
• Lyla weighs about 35 pounds and is some where in the middle for percentile on height. 
• She has the best personality. We know that Lyla will be our sweet hearted little one and Ava will have a little more sass. :)

Ava

• Wants to crawl so baddddd!
• Has just started to realize when she is alone. 
• Love's to cuddle!! I. die. everytime.
• Sits up well on her own.
• Weighs about 18 pounds
• Starting to babble and we think we've heard mamamaama before. :)
• Not sleeping well, but neither did her sister around this age. 
• Ava has three teeth and three more that have just busted through her gums. All in about a month, poor girl. 

When you ask a two year old to take a picture. HA. Ya right, Mom. 

Again, Lyla is NOT in for pictures these days. Ava, however. HAM. :)

Stop. It. This pictures makes my uterus do a flip flop for more babies. Just sayin'. 

My sweet Lyla Joy. Excuse that I look like death. I have two under two. 'Nough said. :) 

Her hair these days. It's so long but these little front hairs are the pits! Hoping they grow out soon. :)

Happy June everyone. Enjoy the summer! We are hitting the pool and the playground like they were invented yesterday. 

- Amanda 

Helicopter EGG DROP

Yep. We took Lyla and Ava to an Easter egg hunt and they DROPPED EGGS FROM A HELICOPTER. I mean, I was more excited than the kids were. How cool?! Here is where you can insert the "well, when I was a kid, we didn't have cool things like this" comment.

Lyla absolutely loved it. When we first got there we got to see a puppet show about having Jesus in you heart. The story was told by several of Lyla's favorite farm animals to which she kept YELLING at from the crowd... COWW! NEIGHHHHH!!! MOOO ... so cute. She also kept busting a move in the chair every time music came on and that just pushed me right over the cuteness cliff. I felt like standing up and being like YEA, SHE IS MINE... SO CUTE RIGHT?? But I didn't. I've got self control. :) I'd like to point out that Lyla had a really good day which aren't as frequent as they used to be. Usually, we have a toddler flopping on the floor, screaming/demanding mickey mouse and a graham cracker. Today was a nice change of pace.  Ava did great too. She was just looking around enjoying the lights!

Once we watched our little puppet show, we grabbed a hot dog and watched them drop these eggs from the sky several times. Lyla is too little yet to run out there and hunt them so we took her to the infant-2 year old area. As soon as she got to the little egg patch she bent down and started putting these eggs in her little 'bibbit' (frog) basket like she'd been practicing her egg hunting skills recently. We had a lot of fun and the event was free. It was put on by Prestonwood Baptist Church and they were awesome. We loved how kid friendly everything was and the staff was extremely friendly. I highly recommend this to anyone with littles!

Lyla on the left about to go down HUGE bouncy house. Alone. **Not Pictured: The first time (this picture) she was fine. The second time she put her feet down and did a summer salt and landed on her face. Then we left. Esh. 

Big girl!

Pirate eggs. Again, SO COOL!

She way too interested in the eggs so the camera was a no-go. Couldn't get any pictures of her smiling!

Nothing says happy Easter like a pirate egg.

PRO

She's so pretty. I see a little girl when I look at her, not a baby anymore. :'(

The offical stroller pusher.

Taking a much needed nap. :)

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter!

-Amanda

Babies Growing {4 and 21 months}

Whhhhhhhhhhhy do babies grow so quickly? Ask any parent, you blink and they are walking around asking for mickey mouse "ma-mow" and graham crackers "ttttttacttttterr". I wish that I could freeze time and just have two little munchkins running around that actually love on me and can't make complete sentences enough to talk back yet.

Wishes.

Well, little Ava is 4 months old now. She's about 15 pounds and just as chipper as ever. She likes to roll over and is a champ at holding her head up at tummy time! She is still nursing and takes a 5 oz bottles at daycare.

Lyla is talking more and more these days. Talking/giving lots of tude. :) Eh well, we take it in stride. She can put a few words together, she knows how to say numbers 1-10, a few different shapes, and lots of colors. She's a smart little thing!! We get a kick out of her. Even though she's got major sass, it's so much fun watching her grow and learn everyday.

We are hanging by a thread most days. There are always dishes in the sink, buckets and buckets of dirty laundry, dog and baby toys strung from hell to breakfast, but we love it. We are very blessed!!!

Some of that sass I mentioned... the face I get when she doesn't want to have her picture taken. 

Daddy getting started on the swing set.

Coloring

:)

Stop. Growing.

Speaking of growing! I planted a little garden for us. I was so nervous I'd end up wasting money but so far, so good! 

Eeek! Baby strawberry! GET IN MY BELLY!

I love this little girl.

Swinging!

Happy March!

- Amanda 

What does an animal say?

We took Lyla and Ava to the Fort Worth Zoo! They had a hoot looking at all the animals and hanging out with their Mimi. All the people around us got tired of Lyla making the sounds of  all the animals she saw. Hahaha- I don't care. I am completely fine with being an annoying parent that thinks their babies are the cutest thing on the friggin' planet. :)

Here are some pictures... 

Lyla and Daddy

Checking out the gorillas! 

Stripesssss

Dawhhh.

The elephants with their babies... I die.

This is pretty much what Ava did most of the time. :)

- Amanda 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day girls!

We spent this Valentine's Day in. Your Daddy and I always eat pizza on Valentine's Day. We have every since we were in college and now, we get to share that with you sweet girls. It was wonderful to share this LOVE holiday with y'all!

-Amanda 

Ava's Birth Story | The Pictures

Hi Everyone! Today I finally got around to getting my pictures together from Ava's birth. I wrote about the birth story here but I wanted you all to see the photo's. Pictures are worth thousands of words, right? I've said it before, I love to share on my blog. I love for you folks who read about our kids to know whats going on in our lives. That being said, these are super personal and special to us.

The one and ONLY shot of my belly. You know, I used to be really embarrassed about my stretch marks and how weird my belly button was, but...they were earned. :)

After I got my epidural. :)

That dang finger monitor. Cade was already wearing his scrubs from when Lyla was born. :)

The very first time we met Ava Julianne. 

I remember wishing that my dad could meet her and I just couldn't hold it in anymore. 

Daddy cutting her cord

Just love. 

Here she is! Love this old man face. :)

I. die. 

Daddy and his daughter. 

Getting little Ava's feet on the other side, to match Lyla's!

Aunt Megan, our photographer!

A few of the visitors that came to see baby Ava. I didn't get a picture of all my school friends that came but all these girls, pictured and not, are like my second family. Love them. 

 

My momma and the girls' Mimi

When Lyla met her very best friend for the first time, Ava. 

"EYESSSSSSS" Yes ma'am.. she does have eyes. 

The Butler ladies

And finally, the man of the hour. Ladies, not only does he have good looks but he loves Jesus and us girls to the ends of the earth. 

We are extremely blessed. 

- Amanda