Preschool Playdates

We've spent the past couple of days getting together with Madelyn's preschool friends.  It's been a ton of fun and Madelyn was so excited to see Ashley and Jane again.  Yesterday, we met at the park and today we spent the morning at Maymont and had a picnic lunch.  Yesterday was brutally hot at the park but today was a beautiful day for Maymont.  The kids walked a ton up and down the hills and enjoyed seeing the animals.  Ellie especially liked seeing the cows and the bears! Here are some pictures from the past couple of days:

Ellie driving the truck at Crump Park

Day with Cousin Cora

Cora spent the day with us last Wednesday while Amy and Sam were moving everything into their new house.   I have never seen Madelyn so excited.  As soon as she woke up, she took off her pajamas and put on her bathing suit because she wanted to play in the sprinklers with Cora.  They had lots of fun playing outside in the sprinklers, on the swing set, playing dress-up, doing arts and crafts and we even went to get some yummy frozen yogurt at Sweet Frog after naptime.  Meme even came over for part of the day to see the kids and join in on the fun.  It was a really fun day but I was EXHAUSTED by the end!

Time for dress-up!

Ellie joined right in on the fun with her shades and necklace!

Loving our sprinkler system!

Keeping cool with Popsicles!

Can't get any better than Sweet Frog!

Happy Birthday Pop!

On Saturday, we celebrated Pop's 60th birthday with close friends and family.  It was a fun evening with lots of laughs, yummy food, and great company.  We decided to make it an adult only party so the kiddies stayed home with my cousin, Pamela, and Bill and I were able to enjoy ourselves with no distrations which was so nice!   On Sunday night, we took the kids over to Nana and Pop's for leftovers and cake.   Madelyn and Cora enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to Pop and Ellie especially loved the cake.  It was a really fun weekend celebrating the birthday of my awesome Dad.  Happy Birthday Dad/Pop!

My Dad was all smiles with his purple 60th birthday hat!

The spread!

Pop got some new shades for his birthday!

Yummy Costco cake!

All ready for some leftover cake!

Singing Happy Birthday

Ellie's favorite part of the night!

Ellie is 15 months!

Ellie is 15 months old and has come alive with her little silly personality and is learning new words every day.   It has been so much fun these last couple of months because she is on the move and communicating.  She also loves to keep up with her big sister and all the big kids  She toddles around behind them and mimics everything they do.  It's hilarious to watch!  At 15 months, Ellie:

• Weights 22 lbs 8 oz (44%) and is 30.5 inches tall (51%)
• Is starting to give up her morning nap and takes about a 3 hour nap in the afternoon which is marvelous!
• Is walking really well and is also starting to walk well in the grass which has made playing outside a lot easier.
• Is becoming quite the picky eater so it's been challenging to get her to eat her vegetables.  Her favorite foods are still macaroni and cheese, fruit and cookies and sweets.
• Is talking up a storm and I can't keep up with her words anymore.  Her new thing is that she calls her cousin, Cora, Dora which is so funny to hear.
• Loves to push the baby stroller and play in their kitchen.  She is also into playing dress up and loves sunglasses
• Likes to color and does pretty good holding a crayon
• LOVES music class on Monday mornings.  She is so happy the entire time and is doing pretty good getting the instruments and putting them away.  She also loves to go up with the big kids and get a sticker at the end of class.  She is in heaven because she loves to dance and sing!
• Is a climber unlike her Big Sister.  I have to keep a close eye on this one because she likes to stand on her rocking chair an is always trying to go towards stairs. When you tell her "No", she laughs at you.  I can already foresee Ellie being a little more challenging in the discipline department! 

 

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!  We had a great Father's Day at our house.  We spent the day as a family and had my parents and Cora and Sam over for dinner (Amy was working).   Per Bill's request, we had a Mexcan fiesta and it was a good time!   Madelyn and Ellie are so lucky to have such a great Daddy.  Our girls just adore Bill and they have definitly turned into Daddy's girls.  Their faces light up and they scream and get so excited when he walks in the door after work.   Bill and I are also lucky to have such great Dad's ourselves who are awesome role models for us.  We love you Pop and Grandpa!

Here are some pictures from Father's Day.  Since this post is all about Dad's, I included a picture of Bill at a charity golf tournament he played in the other week.  It was a tournament put on by former NFL player Aaron Brooks.  Bill played with our good friend, David Phan, and I thought this was a good picture of their team with Aaron.

Bill and his girls!

Always attached at the hip!

Pop and his girls!

Me and my Daddy!

Bill wth Aaron Brooks and their team named "Hokie Haters".  Don't tell Nana and Pop! 

New Bike

Madelyn got a new Mini Glider (aka balance bike) this past week.  Bill has always wanted to get Madelyn a balance bike instead of your typical bike with training wheels.  He has read and heard that it's a lot easier for kids to learn how to balance on two wheels with the balance bike.  We were going to wait until Madelyn's birthday but figured we might as well get it this summer so she can practice.  It took a little while for Madelyn to warm up to her new bike but after a little bit of practice, she has started to toddle around on it.  Bill's determined to get Madelyn riding on two wheels by the end of the summer so we'll see.  It will be fun to watch her progress.  The bike is pink and we may add a little princess basket or horn to make it a little more fancy. Take a look at Madelyn's socks and shoes in the picture.  She was very proud of her outfit!

Staying Cool

It has been unusually hot the last couple of weeks so we have been trying to stay cool as much as possible.  Since preschool has ended, we have been busy going to the pool, taking swim lessons, and having playdates with friends.  It has been a fun summer vacation so far and we're actually going to take this afternoon off and stay home because they are both exhausted and we've had quite a few tantrums today!  Madelyn is really into the water this year and wants to go to the pool every day.  The pool has been pretty easy this year compared to last so we've been going quite a bit.  I prefer to eat dinner there because it's fun for them to eat with their friends and I don't have to clean up the kitchen.  After dinner, they can go in the pool one more time and then home for bath and bed.  It's a fun way to end the day for all of us! Here are some pictures from the pool, Madelyn's swim lessons and a bowling event we had with our playgroup.  

Madelyn is taking private lessons from one of the swim team coaches.  Jessicca is really good with the kids and Madelyn is learning to float on her back, water safety, and kicking with a kick board.  Our main goal is for Madelyn to get over her fear of going under water.  We got over a big hurdle yesterday because she will now jump off the side of the pool.  Yeah!

Jessica says that Madelyn floats really well so maybe her stroke will be the backstroke!

Madelyn and Ellie love to watch their shows in the morning.  I found them the other morning sitting in their rockers from Grandpa.  It was so cute!

Eating an afternoon snack with Daddy!

Sweet Ellie is almost 15 months!

Look at those thighs!

Madelyn, Isabella and Sophia taking a break

Our Bathing Beauty

Friday night Hot Dogs and Hamburgers at the pool

Ellie enjoyed her Oreo cookies a little too much

Best Friends!

The matching bathing suits were not planned but made for some cute photos! 

Cora loved her bowling shoes!

Free Bowling at AMF during the summer for kids..my kind of activity!

They did really well taking turns!