Alabama and Tennessee

After being home only four days we took off again and headed to Alabama and Tennessee. Unfortunately, it was the Fourth of July weekend so our 11 hour car ride was closer to 14, but the kids did great again. We had a lot of fun for the two days we stayed in Alabama. Ryan had a great bike ride with his cousin Quinn, got some new stuff at Quinn's triathlon store, Asher had tons of fun with their daughter, we got to visit an amazing house on the water with unbelievable gardens, and attend the tiny branch his cousin is over. We were sad to leave so quickly, but we're excited to visit Carrie in Tennessee. We drove to Tennessee Sunday night and were excited to celebrate the Fourth of July on Monday. We attended an awesome parade in a small town and the kids loved picking up all the candy that was thrown. We then played at the park and grabbed some fireworks on the way home. The kids had a blast that night with the poppers, the sparklers and watching the neighbor's firework show. The next few days we saw about every train in the Nashville area, ate the best cupcakes, went to the Children's museum, ate yummy pancakes, had an adventure finding the hot chicken place, had barbecue downtown, went to the splashpad, visited Franklin and went peach picking. We had so much fun with the Funks and we were sad to head home. But if you want a fun-filled vacation and to gain 10 pounds - Go visit Carrie! It was another 14 hour ride home, but we did find Atley's birthday present in Little Rock (yes Ryan knows I am crazy and will call every store if something I want is on an awesome sale until I can find it!). We can't wait for our next family vacation!

Arizona Vacation

This year we decided that we would drive to Arizona. Ryan drove us out and then flew home and came back three weeks later for a quick family picture! We drove to San Antonio for a wedding reception on Friday and stayed the night there. The kids were great, but the valet damaged the car while we were leaving so they got really tired and I was not looking forward to the hotel that night, but they did great. We drove all the way Saturday and the kids were awesome - stopping to feed Atley every four hours and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the dvd player worked wonders. Before heading to the airport on Sunday we stopped by Grandma Grace's and got to visit with her. We sure love her and we were so glad she got to see the kids. The next three weeks are kind of a blur, but we loved every crazy minute of it. The kids and I had so much fun with Mama and Bampa and all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. Bennett and Asher really hit it off and Asher and David really hit each other! I got to meet sweet Brooklyn and little Addy and feel a little sad that Atley won't grow up with those two so close, but maybe we can get Uncle Kason out here! We swam, had huge FHE's, family dinners, open gyms, movie night, crazy family pictures, late nights, big kid haircut, cousins played and I loved having someone to do something with all the time. We missed Ryan, but had so much fun. We took two days to come home and sure missed Arizona when we got back to Texas. Here is some pictures of our fun filled weeks:

2 Year and 6 Month Check-ups

Before we headed to Arizona we had Asher's 2 year check-up and Atley's 6 month check-up. Here are their stats:

Asher
Weight: 26lbs 2oz. - 23%
Height: 34" - 31%
Head - 50cm - 83%

At 2 years old Asher is still loving trains. He could play with them all day. He has started talking more and has decided he needs to jump off of everything. He loves nursery and will even tell us who was there and what they learned about. He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and is so excited when he sees Mickey walking up the hill when we turn on the tv. He is so fun to watch grow and we just love having him in our family.

Atley
Weight: 14 lbs. 15oz. - 29% (they weighed her with her diaper on which was weird!)
Height: 25" - 25%
Head: 42cm - 35%

At 6 months Atley is still such a great baby. She loves her brother and thinks he is so funny! She started baby food and will only eat carrots and puffs. She loves to be held and to sleep in mom and dad's bed, especially after dad has left for work. She hasn't started rolling over and seems to be content in mom's arms. We just love our little girl!

7 Year Anniversary

Since I hate leaving my kids we decided we would make a yummy dinner after the kids went to bed to celebrate our anniversary. Ryan did a great job and we enjoyed a quiet dinner and actually sitting down to eat with just us two. It is hard to believe seven years has come and gone, but we are loving having two of the cutest kids and making a home here in Katy. We are excited to see what the next year brings! I am sure it will be even better than the last!