Devyn's 1st Birthday Bash!

This past weekend we went to the Gross house to celebrate Devyn's 1st birthday! She has gotten so big over the past year, and I can't believe it has been a year, but here we are.

Abby and her became instant floor buddies, chilling and playing with all the toys.

Abby watching Austin and little Rhu playing with cars...Riley is mesmerized too!

So true to first birthday fashion, there was great food, great company....and of course Devyn got birthday cake. Man did she dig in and demolish her little cake. Such a different way of eating than Alex on her first birthday. I can't wait for Abby to have cake for the first time. I refuse to give her any because I want her first cake to be on her birthday. I know this may seem silly, but that is the way I want it to be. Something different is the pinata. The older kids loved it. They all got turns...Jack Leonard, McKenzie Leonard, Riley Smiley, Stephen Rhubottom, Christian Scambray & Austin all got their whacks at the butterfly. Ultimately it was McKenzie Leonard that demolished the poor butterfly. The kids went crazy over the candy!

HIPPO

Meet our newest pal Hippo. He is a colorful friend and Abby could not live without him now (see previous post).

Swim Lesson Pictures...FINALLY!!!

Below are some pictures from our first week of swim lessons. All the kids seem to LOVE the pool and their instructors.

Yay dad....I am ready for the pool!

Riley looks a little unsure

You cannot see him but Austin is a kicking machine!

Why does dad not look very interested?

Daaaaaaaaaad...why are you taking a picture of me?

Austin looks like a bug

I am super excited to be here today

Austin is doing the breaststroke here

Riley is practicing her moves

I love the pool....except when you dunk me!

Swim Lessons - Day 1

I know it has been a while since I posted....and I really do feel bad...but, it is so hard to want to get on the computer at the end of a long day at work and then playing with the kiddos....sooooooooo sue me :) lol.

Today was another first for Abby....swim lessons. Let me start by saying that my chunk o'monk really loves the pool. She is complete opposite of her sister at this age. We went to the pool the other day and Abby almost got out of her floating ring...she bout near scared the poop out of me when she did it. So......today was swim lessons for all the kiddos. Austin was in the deep end with the big kids, Riley was doing her first swim lesson without one of us and Abby was in the pool with Dad while I took pictures. Riley was ready to show off for the teacher and quickly blew bubbles and went under water and kicked like a champ. Austin was a swimming fool (although I think this level might be a little much for him, but the teachers will bump him down if they think it is necessary). Abby was with a group of about 5 other babies ranging from 15 months to 10 months (she was the 10 month old). Tracy could not keep that girl from screaming with joy and splashing all about. The other babies looked around and were perfectly still, but my child was trying to jump out of Daddy's arms and into the pool. We had to cut the swim lessons short today due to really really bad weather that hit out of nowhere. While the other babies were dry from the waist up, my little sweetie was completely drenched. So all in all I think swim lessons were a success with everyone today and they all want to go back tomorrow...whew!

On a side note, my child has developed this crutch for her little stuffed animal named Hippo. He is a bright orange and blue and green ...what else...hippo! His little neck is almost wrung from where she carries him around all the time. She has completely replaced Maurice. Poor guy! If she sees her Hippo she will almost jump out of our arms and rush towards it. If she is playing she will play with one hand while holding Hippo in the other. If she is eating and we try to take Hippo out of her hand she will scream bloody murder. She loves her Hippo...more on him later.

I will post swim pics tomorrow hopefully and Hippo pics too. I am too lazy to run to the car in the pouring rain to get the camera out of the car :). I will melt because I am sooooo sweet lol.

I will give a shout out to my sis-in-laws blog so everyone should go read up on the lovely OK James family...ohfudgesicles.blogspot.com.

Peace

Vacation - Part III - Owasso, Oklahoma

Our last portion of our vacation took us to Owasso, Oklahoma (yes where the wind comes sweeping down the plains)! It is a suburb of Tulsa. Here is where Rob, Melanie, Noah and Luke James reside. We have never visited their casa (well since I have been a part of the family) and they have never met Riley Smiley because she moved so soon after being born and their schedules never clicked with ours when she was down. It took 4.5 hours to get there from Hot Springs. We did almost nothing but lay and relax by the pool. Melanie was a wonderful cabana girl and Tracy was a great cabana boy making sure our drinks were always full and keeping the fun rolling. Tracy went for a 40+ mile bike ride one of the mornings with Rob and I think he was paying for it the rest of the trip. On the 4th, Joyce & Dennis made the trek from Hot Springs to come and visit. Again, it was another day by the pool on the 4th and then ending in fireworks.

Also while we were there marked the beginning of Le Tour! So we had 2 days of bike riding to watch. I think Tracy is really considering a pool after lounging in Rob & Melanie's for a couple of days. Melanie is a wonderful cook and kept our bellies full from tons of food. I think I gained all my baby weight back lol :). She took a lot more pictures then I did with her really cool camera, so I will upload some of her pictures when I get them downloaded.

Abby meet Dude! Dude and Abby were instant pals. He licked her to death and she loved it!

Abby is a total pool chica!

Austi Posti likes the pool too. He is about to go diving.

Riley and Luke having a deep conversation

Dude, meet Abby's toy Lambchop

Lambchop, meet Dude's mouth....Dude ended up completley demolitioning Abby's toy!

It is time for FIREWORKS!!!!

Luke, Austin and Riley playing with poppers.

The next morning it was time for us to make our 7.5 hour trek back to Bryan, TX. It was a very long trip with 3 kids in the car....especially when the 10 month old (HAPPY 10 MONTH BIRTHDY ABBY) was the best one. She can't ask 'How much further' yet :).

It was a great vacation!

Vacation - Part II - Hot Springs, Arkansas

So...on to our next adventure.....on Monday after lunch we went and travelled almost 5 hours to Hot Springs, Arkansas to Grandma and Grandpa's lake house. We stayed here until Thursday after lunch. It was really relaxing. The kiddos got to play in the lake everyday. Austin even made it up on adult skis. Austin also went fishing with Grandpa James and caught 7 fish to Grandpa's 2 :)! Of course Joyce stuffed us with wonderful meals. We didn't leave the lake house the entire trip. Abby was wonderful too...she took 2 naps each day at least 2 hours a piece and slept from 8 pm to 8 am each night without waking up. We couldn't have asked for more! Riley even did a big girl puzzle...150 pieces! Granny James even supplied Riley and Abby with new Little People toys and Austin a new DS game!

Riley liked the tube better this year, but had her hand signals mixed up :) Look at the guns on Katiebug!

Abby seemed to like the tube okay, but she wasn't too crazy for the life jacket.

Bubba looks mean and ferocious

Daddy and his Riley Smiley

Vacation - Part I - Great Wolf Lodge

Well we finally took a vacation...a WEEK long!!! I haven't taken a week long of vacation since Tracy and I had our honeymoon 3 years ago (unless you count maternity leave, but I don't because that was NO vacation)!!

We started off the vacation by going to a place on the outskirts of Dallas called Great Wolf Lodge.

We had heard many good things about this place from Brian & Denise, as well as Kim & Lauren so we decided to give it a try. Let me tell you, it was an amazing place, and I really wish we had had more time to spend there. We got there on Sunday at lunch which was when we could start checking in and left about the same time the next day. Great Wolf Lodge is a huge indoor water park at a climate controlled 84 degrees, which let me tell you with the week long heat wave of 100 degrees or more each day, this place felt wonderful.

We started the time by going to the room and changing immediately. Abby felt the need to model her new swim suit for us!

Riley decided to test the waters and see how she liked it...of course she did!

We then kind of split off. Riley & Abby stayed with Tracy so that Austin and I could go and do more daredevil rides (i.e. really huge slides). Apparently Abby really likes the water (which we knew). The kids area had a beach like entry and she would crawl until she was under water and then pick her self up and keep crawling. I guess she isn't afraid. She even went down a little person slide. Riley has grown so much with the water from last year to this year. She went down several slides and had a blast in the wave pool.

We took a break from swimming to do many things. One was playing in the arcade...how could the kids walk by and not want to play games!

There was this really cool 'game' called MagiQuest. You bought a wand and then went on quests throughout the 8 story lodge. When you solved your clues you would find it in the lodge and wave your wand at it and it would tell you things or the next thing to do. I participated in this Sunday night for a bit and after climbing 7 stories and while holding Abby (who I might add fell asleep during all of this) I decided to bail. Riley lasted a little longer and then Austin and Tracy came back to the room ......4 hours later! It really is an addictive activity and Austin was a Master Magi by the time we were through.

Riley, Abby and I got some chill time while Austin was magic playing and Tracy was loading the vehicle before we left on Monday. It was an amazing place and we definitely needed another day!

Texas Reds Festival 2009

Okay...so it has been a while since I posted, and boy are you probably going to get tired of reading for a bit :). I FINALLY downloaded a bunch of pictures from the past few weeks. Since Austin and Riley have been here, I haven't really wanted to get on a computer (or had the strength because I am worn out each day :) ) and have been doing much of the email and FB stuff on my iPhone. So here come a few posts. I am doing a few posts so there is separation for each item and one item isn't a million miles long...so here goes:

As mentioned in my previous post, the first Saturday the kids were here we went to the 3rd annual Texas Reds Festival held in downtown Bryan. We go every year and they seem to be adding more and more stuff for the kiddos to do each year.

It was super hot that day, but the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves...even Abby!

Riley & Abby before the day began

Riley Smiley going down the big girl slide! She wouldn't do this one in previous years...she is really getting to be brave!

Austin thought he would give this mechanical bull a ride...but I think it gave him a ride...he ended up on the ground not too long after this picture.

Abby is thinking....man Bubba is a wimp, I could have lasted at least 4 seconds! LOL

Riley's favorite part was the petting zoo...she thought it was the coolest last year too and didn't want to leave it.

Abby & Grisham hanging at the Children's Museum...just having a ball

Abby...you are too funny (says Grisham)

Riley Smiley loves to shop! The Children's Museum has this cool grocery store area where you can pretend shop and check yourself out and all sorts of fun stuff.

Austin being crazy at the Children's Museum trying on different masks...I am a tiger..rawr!