More party pics!

I found so many good pictures on my camera that I had to post more party pictures.

Yummy cakes and cookies that DotDot and Mimi Jo made.  We are so very lucky to always have special treats made specially by them.



 The bounce house was a huge hit! Thanks to the Davis's for letting us borrow it.

 "Mom, enough with the pictures!"

 My beautiful girl!

 Enjoying some cake!

 Blowing out her candles.

 Serious about some cake

 Pepaw and Ann partied with us!

 DotDot and Grandaddy. Thanks for hosting our party!

 Opening presents

 Enjoying his new monster truck. He has carried it everywhere with him.

 Thanking people for her gifts!

 Telling Mamaw thank you for her gifts.

 Blocking the slide traffic

 This picture is blurry but hilarious!

 Drew wanted to help Whitney take Price and Hayes for a wagon ride. These are some of Drew and Anna Kate's most favorite people.  We talk about Hayes, Price, and Whitney daily (usually on multiple occasions!).

 While the other kids were playing, my boy was sweeping.  Such a helpful little man!

 Anna Kate telling Hayes and Hudson bye.  It is a full time job for her to keep all these boys in line! 

Again with the balloons.  He got all tangled up in them again and then tried to get in the bath tub with them. Forget all the fancy gifts, all they needed was some balloons!

Monkey see monkey do, Anna Kate & Drew are turning 2!

Yesterday was Anna Kate and Drew's birthday party at DotDot and Grandaddy's house and we could not have had a more perfect day!  It has been pretty hot and humid here but a cold front with impeccable timing moved through Friday and made my sweet babies' day that much better!  There were about 40 people at the party and they had a blast! All of their cousins and friends were there and we grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and they enjoyed playing on the swing set, and in the bounce house, the "ball pit", and sand box.  And if all of that wasn't great enough, there were "go-go" (golf cart) rides,"boones!" (balloons), cake, and presents. What an awesome day!! They are so blessed by all of the people who love them.  And bless their sweet little hearts, they were exhausted.  Anna Kate asked to go "night night" all the way home.

 Trying the bounce house out before everyone gets there.

 For some reason, he kept going down the slide on his head. Silly!

 Having so much fun.

 "Boons!"  He spotted them as soon as he walked in the door and went straight for them.  He grabbed them and took off. He was all wrapped up in them and was running around like crazy.  And then, all of the sudden, Anna Kate came out of no where and tackled him. I have a hysterical video that I am going to try to put on here. 

 Seriously, these kids love balloons.

 Birthday girl with her hat. Drew refused to even think about wearing his.

 Drew loved the cake. He had a second serving.

 Anna Kate really liked it too but wasn't as enthusiastic about it as her brother was.

I cannot even believe they are two already!  Where does time go?!?!

First Day of School!

Drew and Anna Kate had their first day of school last Wednesday.  It was not my favorite day ever but it wasn't as terrible as I had prepared myself for it to be. They were quite excited about the getting there part even though I had to wake them up and try to feed them breakfast an hour earlier than they are used to. We got our cute little outfits on and our cute little backpacks (that were packed to the brim with stuff... I seriously spent over an hour packing bakpacks and lunches the night before) and ran out the door 10 minutes after we were supposed to be there.  Oops!  We all know I am not known for punctually (especially in the mornings) so this isn't very surprising.
We got out of the car and got all of our stuff together as smoothly as you can with two two-year-olds.  I tried putting their backpacks on them to walk in but I guess they were a little heavy because they were pulling them backwards. While Drew was struggling to take steps forward, his cute new shorts fell down around his ankles.  I got so tickled and had a hard time helping them because I was laughing so hard.  All of this was going on while there was a sweet man sitting in his car waiting for us to pass.  I got his pants up, got both of their backpacks (along with their nap mats, my keys and cell phone, and a bag of classroom supplies) and we finally made it into the building. They were excited and got right on the elevator and went upstairs.  When we got to their room, their class was heading to yoga so we went on into their room and got situated.  After that we went down to yoga class.  They were interested in the other kids and what they were doing but didn't participate and stuck close to me.  I quickly figured out this would not be my time to exit. So I stayed and walked back to their class with them.  Next on the agenda was snacks which they weren't very interested in since they had just eaten breakfast but they sat down and participated with the class.  It was at this point that I made the mistake of trying to tell them bye which sent Anna Kate especially into a tail-spin.  She started crying and wanted me to hold her. Bless her little heart, she just kept saying Mommy over and over. Drew cried because she was crying. I got her to sit back down at the table and sat with them while they finished snacks.  The class was then allowed to get up and play.  Drew and Anna went right off and played happily with the other kids.  I quietly made my way out the door.  I just made it out when Anna Kate realized I was gone and started crying again. This is when it got hard.  Drew started crying too.  I finally had to force myself to leave even though they were still crying.  I felt terrible but I knew they would calm down.  I went and ran some errands and then headed home to clean (my boss agreed that even though I was supposed to start working Wednesdays, to let me have this one off so I could go home and "morn").  I had lots to do and little time which was probably a good thing so I didn't think about it.  One of their teachers gave me her phone number before I left so I sent her a text right around lunch time to check on them.  She said they had cried some (especially when they would leave the room to go to Chapel, the playground, etc...) but that they were doing good and she thought they were making progress.  She even sent me a picture of them eating lunch.  It made me happy and broke my heart all at the same time. I went with John Clay to pick them up and as soon as we walked in the door, Anna Kate started crying. It wasn't that she was sad to see us but it also wasn't because she was so happy. I think she was just crying.  She calmed down and they were excited we were there but were also excited to leave. The teachers said they did well and that there were a few tears but they also had some fun.  They did nap (which I was worried they may not) but it took them a while to settle down. They said they wanted to be closer to each other so they moved their cots as close as they would go which still wasn't good enough. They said they pretty much ended up sleeping on top of each other. Bless their sweet little hearts! They were definitely tired since their nap was cut short. They were a little clingy to me and Anna Kate was a little emotional but they seemed to recover just fine.  We will see how next Wednesday goes now that they know I am going to leave them. Hopefully, they remember that I came back for them and go easily!

 The night before.  All packed and ready to go.

 Walking in.  This picture feels very paparazzi to me!

 Waiting for the elevator to go up to their classroom.

 Checking out the toys!

 Snack time with their class.  They look so big!

This is the picture their teacher sent.  I am so thankful that they at least had each other. I don't know how people do it when they have to leave one kid by themselves!

My girl stuck close to me Wednesday afternoon and evening.  I think it was partly because she was tired.

Itchy and sneezy

My kids must be super sweet because if there is a bug around that does some biting, it is a sure bet they are going to get bitten... A couple of weeks ago, we played outside one evening and Drew and Anna Kate woke up the next day eaten up with bug bites.  I'm not exaggerating either. Drew had at least 10-12 and Anna Kate 8-10.  When they have bites, they turn to big welts and take days and days to go away.
Last Thursday after I got home from work, I noticed Anna Kate had a few new welts on her arms and legs.  As the night went on, she kept acting like they were itching and she got a couple more. I changed her sheets and looked around to see if we were infested by bugs but didn't find anything.  She woke up Friday morning covered from head to toe in red splotches.  I called the doctor and made an appointment for that afternoon.  We kept her covered in cortisone cream in the mean time and racked our brains as to whether she had any new foods, products, etc....  I met Mamaw Katherine and Papaw Hubert at the doctor at 3:00 Friday afternoon and we went in for Anna Kate's second sick visit in her life. She was perfectly behaved and cooperated with the nurse while she took her vitals and weighed her (a whopping 22lbs 10oz fully clothed!).  When the doctor came in she was very cooperative with him too.  She even opened her mouth and let him look at her throat.  This is the girl we have to wrestle every night to brush her teeth.  I got another comment about how well behaved and cooperative she was (the last doctor said the same about both of them at their 18 month visit). She sure had him fooled! :)  We left with a diagnosis of hives but no explanation as to why she had them. We have been giving her Benedryl and that has helped.  I am happy to report that they are almost all gone and she doesn't seem to itch anymore.  She now thinks that any ailment can be cured by cortisone cream. Last night she bumped her head and asked for "med-cine".
While Anna Kate was itchy, Drew woke up Saturday snotty.  Now Anna Kate is too. It isn't too bad but they are both a little stopped up and sneezy.  Hopefully, it is just allergies and everyone will be well to go to their first day of school on Wednesday!  Maybe they are trying to prepare me for what is to come as they enter the germ infested world of preschool.  Besides leaving them with someone other than family for the first time, letting them out of their little germ free bubble that I have managed to keep them in for the last two years is one of the hardest things for me.

 Digging through my purse while waiting for the doctor.  I'm pretty sure she took everything out. Twice.

Cleaning her hands. As you can tell, she may have been itchy but otherwise she felt fine. I think she enjoyed the one-on-one attention too.

 Not a very clear picture but you can kind of see her little hives on her arms and face.

 More hives!  The ones on her hands, feet, and legs seemed to itch the worst.

And what was Drew doing while Anna Kate was getting all of this attention?  Wearing a tutu and his sunglasses at night, of course.  Crazy kid!

Fun with DotDot

DotDot let me borrow her camera this week and I found several cute pictures on there so I figured I'd share. I am so happy for Anna Kate and Drew that they get to spend their Mondays and Tuesdays with her. I know they will have wonderful (and invaluable) memories of their time with DotDot (and Grandaddy) and their Mamaw Katherine and Papaw Hubert when they are older.

 Drew is becoming quite the golfer.  He really is good!

 Reading their books.  Apparently all of them.

 DotDot may be part of the reason they think they are big kids now.  She let them eat lunch at the island one day and they thought that was pretty great and now want to do it all the time.

 Swinging on the back porch!

 Drew giving sis a push.

 Taking turns.

 What a face!

"1...2...3...GO!!!"

 Last Monday DotDot took AK & D to feed the ducks at the park with Whitney and cousins Price and Hayes. I hear they had lots of fun!

 After the park they went to Chick-fil-A for lunch.  What a fun day!

 I'm sure she was supervising all the boys.

 Cousin fun!

All these fun times sure can wear you out!

The last....

I am so sad to report that today was my last Wednesday to get to stay home with my babies.  But as sad as I am for me, I am excited for them.  They are going to be going to a Parent's Day Out program at Dotson Memorial Church and I know they are going to love it.  It will be good for them to get to make friends outside of each other and their cousins.  I know they are going to learn a lot and that this will help them be even more flexible to different routines.  It will also be good for them to be a part of a universe that they aren't the center of! :)  It has been such a blessing that I have been able to have this extra day during the week with them for the past 2 years and I can say that I never once took it for granted.
I thought about planning something big and exciting for our last Wednesday together but then I decided that it would be good to just do what we have always done on Wednesdays.... nothing!  Wednesdays have been our day just to hang out and play with our toys, read books, play in the back yard, etc....  Weekends are usually busy with activities and special/family events and Wednesdays have been our days to stay in our PJs all day, catch up on things around the house (well, that is just me), and lay low. It will be hard giving those things up but I have a suspicion that Wednesdays may just become Drew and Anna Kate's favorite day of the week.  We went by "school" today to drop off some paperwork and the 2 year old class was just finishing lunch and walked by on their way back to their class.  Drew and Anna Kate tried to file right in line and go back with them. Hopefully, they will be that eager next week.

Me and my cuties enjoying our day together.  I just realized this is my blog debut.  Good thing my hair is pulled back in a pony-tail and I'm not wearing any makeup. :)

We have our lunch boxes, backpacks, and nap mats all ready to go! I will have a "First Day of School" post next week... and in the mean time, will be trying to prepare myself for that day.

*And a story for the growing up too fast file.... Drew and/or Anna Kate (I'm not sure who the instigator was) figured out how to unlock and open our front glass door today.  I was in the kitchen getting things together for our trip to the school when I heard our front door open. My first thought was someone was here but then I remembered I locked the door.  I came around the corner to see Drew making his way down the steps on the front porch and Anna Kate was just a few steps behind him!! Heart attack! I guess if they are going to be in the living room unattended, we will have to close and dead bolt the front door from now on (they can unlock the door knob and the dead bolt is just a matter of when they can reach it).  These two just cannot be contained!