Summertime!!!

Today marks my 6th day of summer break. I have been VERY busy checking things off my to do list. Painting Addison's room (pink of course), cleaning closets, cabinets, printing & organizing pictures, completing birthday scrapbooks, the list goes on and on. I have to say I am quite proud of my accomplishments! I also have a new appreciation for Jenn, our nanny. She has the patience of a saint! These girls are a lot of work!!!
Tonight I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my nephew/Godson Matthew and my cousins Noelle and Dave. They are flying down from NJ for the week. We are all looking forward to their visit which will include a trip to see the mouse!
Alyssa is doing great now that her "virus" is gone. We had a few days of very high fevers which skyrocketed to 105 and landed us in the after hours weekend doctor's office. After some poking and prodding, the consensus was viral. Poor kiddo was a mess, but I have to admit I enjoyed the extra cuddle time every minute of the day. Day 5 the fever finally broke and about 12 hours later the rash appeared, just as the doctor said it would. Along with the rash came a broken blood vessel in her eye.We had to cancel pictures and are waiting for that clear, beautiful baby skin to reappear!
Addison is turning into a kid without a doubt. It hurts my heart to think my baby is growing so fast! She proudly announces to anyone (and everyone) that she will be this many, as she hold up 3 fingers, at her party. Her memory amazes me and her one liners keep us laughing all day long. We have made some huge strides in the potty training. She is even doing number 2 on the potty now. We venture out without diapers on and pray for the best. She has done amazing and hasn't had an accident yet!
When I was pregnant with Alyssa, I had so many people tell me that nothing will bring you more joy than watching your children together. They were right! It often brings tears to my eyes as I watch the girls interact. Now that Alyssa is moving and getting into things, she and Addison really enjoy playing in the playroom together. Today I even noticed Alyssa starting to imitate Addison. Alyssa even knows what to do to get Addison to laugh. Alyssa shakes her head no back and forth and smiles from ear to ear. Addison thinks it is so funny! This is a must-catch on video.
Stay tuned for pictures from our week with the cutest little boy around! In the meantime, here are a few of my latest favorites!

MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO!

SISTERLY LOVE

CRUZIN' THE NEIGHBORHOOD

On the Move!!!!

Without a doubt, Alyssa is learning very quickly by watching her big sister. She has been doing this crazy army crawl/scooting thing until today. Literally overnight she started to crawl on all 4! She is loving the speed she has gained now! We've spotted a 4th white bump on her lower gum which explains her very unusual crankiness the past week or so. Guess her tooth was hurting. :(
Addison has developed this aversion to bedtime. She is tired and she wants to sleep but has to have someone lay with her. Tonight I put my foot down, closed the door and although it made me sad, let her cry. Until..... Daddy came out of the shower. All Addison had to do was bat her big brown eyes and say "Daddy, please lay with me" and the answer was immediately yes. To make it even harder for him to say no, she said "Daddy are you going to lay with me"? When Brian answered yes, her reply was "Oh thank you so much, I am so happy now." WOW- she is learning the art of manipulation at such a young age! Those big brown eyes and long eyelashes are winning over many! Jenn also can not resist the sweet batting of the eyelashes. Seems she has been getting some afternoon rest at nap time as well! Brian made a very good point the other night, he said we should embrace this time because soon enough they won't want us to lay with them... sniff, sniff. Don't even want to think about that!!!

Our New Look

A very good friend of mine just gave me another much needed push to get on this blog! The Biggs family just welcomed a new baby boy to our circle, Ryan! We are so excited for them and can't wait to meet this cute little guy! She did a little updating to her blog look and inspired me to do a little changing, so here it is. I think the polka dots fit the girls well, but we still need to work on some color schemes.
Alyssa just turned 8 months old. She is scooting everywhere and trying to pull herself up on everything and anything! She is sporting 3 bottom teeth and loving Mommy's homemade baby food. Sweet potatoes,zucchini, and yellow squash are her favorites. Tonight was a first encounter with peas and she is not loving those. She did some gagging and we all did some laughing.
Addison's 3rd birthday plans are well underway and while July 31st will be sure to be a hot celebration, we are certain it will be enjoyed by the kids. Seems that our frequent trips to Disney have inspired a Mickey Mouse birthday party!
I am anxiously awaiting June 23rd when I will get to spend a moth with the girls. We don't really have any big trips planned, but we are going to have loads of playdates and a visit from Aunt Noelle, Uncle Dave, & Matthew from NJ! Hoping to get some pictures uploaded soon. You won't believe how these girls are growing!