TO school shopping...

we found ourselves in Gap kids yesterday during a spontaneous trip to the mall in attempt to escape the heat.  our little garrett, it turns out, is a big fan.  he chose many shirts and shoes and jeans and even tried them on in the dressing room.  i will never forget seeing him come out with his baggy jeans, trendy t, and his hands in his pockets. i kid you not, he was strutting! he gets it from paul:)

we decided to make a day of it and get him new shoes.  i needed paul's help, as i had already taken him to two shoe stores without luck.  turns out he is not a fan of the foot measurer or the try on stockings.  we ended up with a trusty pair of new balance tennis shoes in a size 7.5 EXTRA wide....Paul said they looked like squares.  now i laugh every time i look at his feet...they are thick:)

Cousins...

...Garrett and Lilah have a lot of them.  L and Maggie are the newest additions to the clan.  Maggie was born to Paul's brother David and wife AnnRose just 5 days before L.  I did not have any cousins my age and I am really thankful that my kids will get to grow up with such a big extended family.  It is crazy!!! (think many 2 year olds running around hitting a backyardagains pinata at a recent bday party).  But, after Paul and I get in the car, the headache fades, and we see the huge smile on G's face....we have visions of what it will be like for the years to come for these cousins--wonderful (i think)!   Our prayer is that they will all (or at least more of them) will end up in Knoxville:)

Growing Up...

it must be bringing home a tiny baby that makes you realize how big your first baby is now:) here are a few pics of him "reading".  and here are a few reasons i think he's growing up....he asks questions, he makes sentences, his smell is starting to change from baby to little (sweaty) boy, he remembers everything (except things like not to hit or scream:), he's tells me how to do things when we play, and he understands all sorts of things that seem way beyond an almost-2-year-old.  it seems like paul and i say this at every milestone....but, this really is my favorite age.  he is such a joy!

1 Month....

I cannot believe my little girl is 4 weeks old! It has flown by, but we absolutely cannot imagine our family without this sweet baby.  She is just precious, but still very sleepy so we kind of feel like we don't know her very well yet.  Here is what I do know...she's very laid back, she's a really noisy person (not crying or even fussing much, but lots of snorts, loud breathing, etc.), she loves her paci, and she does a great job of tolerating her brother's crazy love of her (crazy as in loud, in her face, and totally unpredictable), she's not crazy about baths or cold wipes, and she loves her head rubbed! Here are a few photo updates:

Uncle Jeff

My brother has been visiting us the last few days with my mom and dad.  He lives the life of a modified ski bum (as in, lives in Steamboat Springs, skis every possible moment, but has an actual job as a high school teacher).  We've had a great time and feel so fortunate that he would take a few days out of his vacation to spend with my wild children. He survived very well, and they loved him.  (I am still laughing at him asking me if Lilah ate twice during the day and once at night??:).