Vaca Pics!

Here we are in Chicago!  I will put these in order and caption them...some day.

Here!

Getting ready for Vacation!

Oh my Goodness!  We are actually going on a family vacation!  Chicago, here we come.  We are all flying to Chicago to visit my girlfriend Trish that moved away and abandoned me 2 years ago.  God bless everyone that has helped us make this happen, from airplane ticket assistance to borrowing warm clothes for the baby(thank you Jamie V) to cheap accommodations to the great ideas for places to see.  The family has been a tremendous help since most everyone used to live there.  And we will get to visit Tom and Marcia while we are there!

Evan and Austin are spectacular.  Evan is roaming around the world under his own power and Austin had a great report from his teacher at the conference.  We are really encouraged that he is going to be an amazing student.  His DIBELS are off the chart for his age.  

Darryl is currently preparing the yard for winter grass.  Unfortunately he cannot plant the seeds until we get back because it will need constant watering for the first week or so and we will be gone all that time.  So, he is just going to get it all ready and then toss out the seeds when we get back.

I am fretting about the packing.  "Do we have enough warm clothes, suitcases, and energy?"  Traveling with the two kids will be a new experience.  I hope to haul as little as possible.  Maybe Trish will know someone that will let us borrow a pack-n-play so I don't have to bring mine.

OK, here are the pics.  I'll add the vacation slide show when we get back!

Thanks!

Here is your teaser picture

p.s. Aunt Jaime, thank you for the new header, I love it!!

Thanks to the iPhone

I  admit that I haven't done a great job of keeping updates current but not having a camera will contribute to that.  Now that Darryl and I have our iPhones {happy anniversary to us!} I have a lot of pictures.

Where to start!

Evan is a whopping 9 months now.  Well, almost, next Wednesday.  He is now trucking around on all fours.   Boy, I forgot how quick they can be!!

He is eating anything he can get in his mouth and just LOVES the gerber Mac 'n cheese.  If I hold my breath I can feed him without gagging.  I am such a dedicated Mother.

He is a great sleeper, at least 9-10 hours a night and 2-4 hours of naps during the day.  I am so blessed.

We count a total of 6 teeth now, four on the top and 2 on the bottom.  And you can ask Aunt Carrie if he likes to use them on our fingers!

He is perfectly content to spend a time playing in his pack 'n play while I clean or play with Austin or whatever.  But once he is tired or hungry he'll let you know it.

Thanks to a suggestion from Aunt Brianne we got some of the Banana teething crackers and he just thinks they are the greatest!  And they don't make near the mess that those nasty biscuits did.

Austin is 2 months into kindergarten and loves his class.  He is so smart!  He sounds out words all the time and always offers to tell me how many letters are in a word.  And now they start math?!?!  2 + 3 = 5.  And he didn't even use his fingers.  Oh my!

He has started playing soccer on Saturdays.  They warm up and practice drills for about 40 minutes and then have a "game" for 10 to 15 minutes.  He loves it and is cooperating very well.

Darryl and Tio are doing their thing.  I think that Tio is getting a little bored.  He hasn't gotten to "get" anyone in a while.  Sucks when there is no crime ;-P

I am somehow managing to keep myself busy.  Ha ha ha.  We are trying to get all our plans finalized for our trip to Chicago this month.  OH, I am so excited!!  We have never been on a real family vacation before and this one will be great.  We are going to see the Brookfield Zoo, the Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier, Hancock observation tower and whatever else tickles our fancy.

We're going to stay with my girlfriend Trish that I haven't seen in like a year and I just can't wait! Woo Hoo, Pour me a margarita girl!

OK, so I actually have a ton of pictures that will take too long to upload here so again I put them on Picasa, click here.  But there are a few of my favorites below as teasers...

Oh, also, there is a link on this page to be a "Follower" of my website.  It doesn't mean you have to wear long robes and do what I say, it just will send you an email when I update the Blog.  That way you don't have to waste hours each day hitting refresh so you will be the first to know when I have something to share.  Lucky you!

These two dudes are totally cool!

"I'm ready for my close-up Mr. DeVille"

I told my brother a secret and he promised not to spill it.

Austin McKinney, Power Forward

Fresh from a nap, sleepy face.

End of the first day

Hooray! Austin loves school. He was so excited when he got out that we couldn't get an understandable word out of him. His favorite part is recess, go figure. He also liked to play at the water tables and lunch time.
His teacher, Mrs. W, seems to have a handle on them. He was looking forward to going back today.
Here are the rest of the pictures from after school.

They all stand in line waiting for their parents vehicles to get to the front of the line. Austin is wearing a sign around his neck that says "Car Kid" so that they know he waits to be picked up instead of riding the bus.

Here we are in the van. Look at that big smile! We were one happy family. Mommy, Daddy and Evan all got naps while Austin was in school. Darryl and I joked that school will probably extend Austins life by about 75 years or so.

What did I tell you? OK, I was off by one scribble. He colored four spots, not three. And the numbers on the bottom right were Austin's attempt to write Daddy's age, he just inverted the digits. Daddy won't mind, right?

This one was the kicker. The red is Austin's actual hand print. The poem started my tears again by the second paragraph. I have to get a rubbermaid bin to start storing all these mementos.

Like I said, Austin was excited to go this morning. He even woke up on his own. We got to school early enough for him to play on the playground. Kinda makes me wonder why I spent all that money on the good school clothes...

Michelle

First day of Kindergarten!

Austin did so well, he didn't cry at all. And I managed to wait until I left his room before I started.
Mrs. W seemed a little frazzled, but 25 new 5 year olds trying to vie for her attention would make anyone crazy!
I documented the morning with pictures. I will update after we pick him up.

The alarm goes off at 6:30 and I actually make it out of bed by 6:33. This will not be a regular occurrence.


My sweet baby, still sleeping. I sang the "Good Morning" song to him to wake him up.


He just loves it when I sing him awake. As he gets older, he will realize just how badly Momma sings, so for now I will cherish his admiration.


Breakfast is a waffle and yogurt. Key Lime yogurt. He learned to like that flavor at Mimi and Papa's. I packed his lunch last night. Turkey sandwich, cheddar cheese squares, applesauce, Capri Sun and Jello for dessert. Oh, I just realized I forgot a spoon! Oops.

Washing hands after breakfast.


Brushing teeth...


Still Brushing...


He is very thorough!


Rinse...


... and Spit, Done!


My tough guy got a tattoo to commemorate the occasion.


All dressed in his new school only clothes. So Handsome!


Packpack on and ready to go!


Now we are using the good camera, instead of mommy's cell phone!


Is it me or does he look slightly apprehensive?


This is Austin's seat in his classroom. I will probably get that coloring sheet back with three scribbles and his name. He's not super into coloring these days.
Mrs. W said to say goodbye and blow kisses to Mommy's and Daddy's. He did that with ease. This was exactly 7 seconds before my waterworks started. I did make it out the door first.
And of course, we can't put up a spread without Evan. Happy man had his blueberry apple oat something and loved every gooey bite!

OK, I will add more pictures after we pick him up. I hope you enjoied them!!
Michelle

Ouch! Has it really been that long since I posted?

No wonder you guys have been giving me heck. Here it is, cliff notes style.
Evan finally broke his first teeth a couple of days ago. The bottom two. I would have taken a picture but you really can't see anything yet. And, so far, I can't feel anything when he nurses. Pray with me that it stays that way.
Austin and I did his school shopping last week and he got some beautiful new clothes. He'll be the sharpest guy in kindergarten. He is so excited about going to "big boy school". We get to go meet his teacher on Thursday and school starts on Monday the 11th. Darryl is taking the week off so we can make it really special for him. Also on the priority list is an afternoon nap for me. It's a Win/Win situation.
I feel so unprepared for this. It's like I don't even know what to expect. I am I really supposed to just throw him at the playground at 7:45am and go home? How will he know where to go? What about lunch, should I pack or let him buy a school lunch? Where do I pick him up.
I'm beginning to feel like a basket case!
I hope his teacher is very patient and understanding...with me.
Darryl has been working his tail off lately, and it is paying off too. He and Tio are really a great team. I am so proud of them.
I am also working my butt off, literally. I honestly don't know exactly how much weight I have lost, but all of my pre-baby clothes are to big. Yeah!! Breastfeeding is a miracle.
My jewelry business has been growing steadily, than you to all my family!
I have some really beautiful jewelry and I love to wear it. It makes me feel pretty and happy.

OK, I know what you are really interested in so here are the pictures:



Click Here for more pictures...

Click Here for a video of Evan

Thanks for keeping me honest.

First family pictures with Evan

I just got some of the pictures that my friend Lisa took of us. She is still working on some and there were some that were a total loss due to totally uncooperative little boys. That's how it goes.
Click the icon below to go to my picasa page with the whole album.
I'll put a couple of my favorites here.

Evan's first family pics

Austin is 5!!!

We had a wonderful birthday party for Austin. A simple, at home pool party. Hot Dogs and potato salad, cake and ice cream. I think everyone had a great time. I know we did.
I don't have all the pictures yet but here are some.
I also am adding some from tonights bath time. Evan is all about chewing on the toes lately.

So Proud!

He blew it out in one try.
Then he wanted to know why he couldn't tell anyone his wish.

Austin LOVES hugs and kisses from his cousin Sela.

Ryan hams it up for the camera.

Gigi and Aunt Barb chat while Charlotte naps.

Austin is listening to his singing birthday card.
(Yeah, I'll even put a picture of me online!)

Popper Gun, one of the Favorite presents.


Now here are my happy boys getting a bath before bed tonight. Evan is so infatuated with his feet now that he can control them a bit.

Happy little chunk!

Mom! You can't take a picture of THAT!



Almost got it...



"Every time I get comfortable, you stick that camera in my face."



My beautiful happy boys. They love each other sooooo much!

I hope you like these pictures, I just can't stop looking at them.

Love you all.