Memorial Day

This year we spent Memorial Day with our friends Ali and Will Heath and their two girls. The original plan was a picnic lunch at one of the neighborhood parks, but those plans quickly changed and we ended up at Celebration Park in Allen. We figured it would be crowded and it was, but the weather was beautiful and the girls had fun splashing in the spray park. With Ana leading the way and Makenzie following suit, the girls decided to take a break from the water and roll down the hill. I think both girls ended up with grass burns when the rolling came to a hault. Despite the heat, baby Alix fell asleep on her mommy while the older girls played on the slides and climbed around at the play area. It was a great end to a three-day weekend. Thanks Heaths for inviting us to spend the afternoon with you!

Enjoying the Spring Weather

After a very wet start to May, we are finally enjoying some beautiful, sunny days. The girls love playing outside which makes me a very happy mommy! Makenzie has started to take a little interest in basketball, which makes me even more excited. Her grandma and grandpa got her a basketball goal for her birthday and she has been asking me to pull it out of the garage so she can shoot baskets. I hope she takes a bigger interest in the sport as she gets older. Ashlyn is learning to kick a ball, but she would rather pick it up and toss it or roll it to her sister. She also loves to play with her splash table that she got for her birthday. Here are a few pics of the girls outside.

Just like daddy

I have been saying for some time now that Makenzie is a LOT like her daddy in the way her brain works. At three, she understands patterns, which according to her teacher, is difficult for children her age. I honestly didn't even know patterns were attempted at three. Things have to be a certain way or she gets extremely frustrated (ask Aaron about making his mom's apple pie--we usually leave the house because if it isn't working out just right, pans may go flying!) and she is very detailed oriented. Yesterday at breakfast, Makenzie was looking through a catalog and said, "mommy, this is the bag you have. I replied," yes it is, that's the one your daddy gave me for mother's day." Her next comment was, "but yours doesn't have sunglasses."

Ashlyn's 1st Birthday Party

We celebrated Ashlyn's birthday with family and friends this past Saturday. Aaron was again in charge of the birthday cake ( he made Makenzie's 3rd bd cake). I have to brag on him....he did a GREAT job on the castle cake and this one took a little more effort than the first one he made. Unless we are absolutely in a time crunch, I don't anticipate ordering a cake in the near future! I was so busy taking pictures that I failed to notice Ashlyn had eaten about half of her individual cake until my sister-in-law brought it to my attention. I think Ashlyn realized she has been missing a pretty good thing! We are thankful to all who made it to Ashlyn's party to celebrate her 1st birthday. Thanks Heather, Madelyn, Dad, and Mom for making the trip here to celebrate with us!

Happy 1st Birthday Ashlyn!

Ashlyn turned ONE on Thursday, April 30th. Aaron took the day off (sort of a tradition that he started with Makenzie's first bd and one that I hope will last for a very long time) and we decided to take the girls to the Dallas Zoo. The last trip I took to the zoo was with my friend Jennifer and her son Carter, and we pretty much stayed clear of the Children's Zoo area. This time, I was prepared to let Makenzie get a little wet, but she ended up getting soaking wet as she plopped her entire body down in the water. Mind you, this was just minutes after I held a conversation that went something like this..."Makenzie, we aren't swimming in the water, but you can put your feet in and get them wet..." So much for that! Ashlyn tried to make her way to the water a couple of times, but I distracted her with quick moves to the slide and caterpillar tunnel. We celebrated that same evening with gifts and a cake that Makenzie picked out for her baby sister. The girls ended the evening playing with Ashlyn's new splash table. Thanks daddy for spending the day with us and thank you Lord for Ashlyn's life. We are extremely blessed that you have entrusted her in our care!