Today is one of those days...

...when I can't wait to go back to work!  I seriously don't get 5 seconds to myself.  This is also the end of the month, which means that Brian will be working late several nights in a row:(

In other news:
Lilah officially has 5 teeth!

Macie is obsessed with Berenstien Bears.  She loves to watch the shows on tv over and over.  She even has a favorite part in each show and is now quoting them. 

Gavin is no longer my sweet, innocent, go with the flow kid.  He is WILD and driving me crazy.  He is into everything and won't take naps.  He wears me out!  He is now always trying to fix something.  It is cute to watch him try to be a handy man!

We have way too many toys!  A couple of times a year, I clean them all out and get rid of a lot of them, but we still manage to have a ridiculous amount!  Most of them, they don't even play with.  They just throw them on the floor and we have to clean them up at the end of every day.  The most popular toys to actually play with include the food, balls, dress up clothes, books, and babies.  The other stuff comes and goes.  They have a few key items they play with and the train table is a big hit.  I could probably get rid of everything else and they wouldn't even care.  Macie is so into coloring and projects, so that takes up a lot of our time.  It won't be long and our crazy season of birthdays and holidays will be here.  I plan to clean out the kids' toys yet again.  Maybe they will receive money for college instead of toys this year...hint hint!  All joking aside, I am thankful to everyone for spoiling my children, but sometimes it is just too much!

Going to the Zoo with Parker

This morning, we met Aunt Beth and Parker at the zoo.  It was Parker's first trip to the zoo.  We'd originally planned to go to their house to swim, but their pool filter wasn't working.  I was glad we were able to go to the zoo because it wasn't as hot as it has been and we wanted to say good bye to Donna the hippo.  Donna is the "World's Oldest Hippo", at least in captivity, and will be 61 on August 4th.  She isn't doing very well and can't even get in and out of her pool.  She won't be around much longer and I wanted the kids to see her one more time.  They love Donna the Hippo and now every time they see a hippo or a picture of one, they call it "Donna the Hippo".  I told the kids she was sick and that the next time we come to the zoo, she probably won't be there.  They are going to miss her.  I will, too!
I guess the cooler temps made the animals happy because they were all out and active.  It was a great visit.  The kids were super excited because the fountain was working again.  They didn't know that I'd packed their water shoes and beach towels just in case.   They had a great time running around getting soaked.  After that, we changed them and headed to Cici's for lunch.  We had a fun time with Aunt Beth and Parker.  I'm so glad that we were able to be their tour guides for Parker's first visit to the zoo!

Macie took good care of Parker.  She was so sweet with him!

Here, she is holding his hand!

This is the best view of Donna we've had in a long time!

Gavin petted a goat named Pumpkin

Parker did, too!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday.  We got her some hand towels, just what she wanted!  To celebrate, we loaded up the van this morning and headed to Terre Haute.  Why you ask?  Well, it is kind of in the middle of here and Indy and we wanted Annie and Charles to be able to meet us.  We ate lunch at Fazzoli's and then went to the Honey Creek mall.  The kids ate their fill of bread sticks and were ready to go!  At the mall, they had a neat play area.  All of the play stuff was breakfast foods.  There was a big banana, sausages, bacon (Macie's favorite), and a bowl of cereal.  The kids had a great time and Macie was a wild woman!  She was running around and jumping off of everything.  The kids also got to go on some "rides".  We did a lot of browsing and a little shopping, too.  Annie even found her wedding shoes for $10!  After hanging out, we loaded up to come home.  We had a great trip!

 Queen of the Bacon

Look at those cute shoes!

Multi-tasking

Macie had a whole set up this morning. She was able to feed her baby, eat her breakfast, and watch tv at the same time. I think she's learning how to multi-task.  She will make a good Mommy some day!

Hair Cuts

Friday afternoon, I took Macie and Gavin to get a hair cut.  I felt like I was a little crazy to take three small kids by myself, but I did it anyway.  I was extra nervous because Gavin didn't nap.  However, they were super well behaved and I was very proud of them.  Aunt Jeri even gave them a sucker to eat on the way home.  I planned to take one before and after picture, but my kids LOVE to have their picture taken, so they kept asking for more.  It turned into a mini photo shoot!

Before:

 During:

 After: Macie just got a trim, but Gavin's hair looks so much better.  He still has those precious curls, but it is much more manageable!

Lilah's Day Take 7

Lilah was a little clingy on her day.  We still had a good day and I was able to get a few things done, but I had to give her all of my attention.  I didn't really mind though.  Sometimes it is nice to have an excuse not to do anything else!  The only negative part is that Lilah has started making it very difficult to make dinner.  This is a tough age because they want you all of the time, but they are also starting to be independent.  When Macie and Gavin are home, I can use them to entertain her.  When I'm on my own, it's Mommy all of the time!  Once again, I spent plenty of time playing with and cuddling my sweet girl!