Harry Potter and the Rodeo!!

I know those two don't usually go together, but the two of them together pretty much sum up our weekend.
Friday, Ben and I went to see the final Harry Potter movie.  We started reading the first book in the series at the beginning of the summer.  We started watching the movies when we realized there was no way we would be able to finish all the books before the final movie came out.  We are going to continue to read, however.  Reading the books adds an entire new dimension to the enjoyment of the storyline, and I am so glad that Ben enjoys reading so much. 
Over the last few weeks, Ben and I have been watching the movies whenever we could find the time.  Friday, we left the girls with Mimi and headed to the theater.  Ben got his "Harry" on.

Abby got to dress up, too.  She wasn't exactly in character for the movie, but she deserved a new little 'costume', too!

We put a little makeup on her...and I can't believe how grown up she looks!

LOVED the movie.  I can't say enough about it.  It was PERFECT.  What a terrific ending to what seems like a lifetime we have shared with the characters. 

Then, Saturday night, Duke took Ben, Abby and Ben's buddy Nathan to the Mesquite Rodeo.

The boys participated in the calf scramble and they both got SO CLOSE to grabbing the scarf!

Ben's on the far left in the red shirt

Chaos ensues!!

Poor Duke was exhausted by the time they all got home.  I think the kids had too much fun for him!!

Audrey also cut her first two teeth this weekend, and she started crying real tears.  :( She's been chewing on things for months now, and she finally has something to show for it!!

7 Months Old!

Unbelievable!  Our little Audrey Elizabeth is 7 months old today!

She is officially bigger than her pink bear.  She was terribly squirrly for this morning's 'photo shoot'.  She is constantly moving around these days.

She loves to grab her feet and put them in her mouth...actually, she loves to put anything in her mouth. 

 

At 7 months, Audrey is...

• 12 lbs, 6 oz
• 25.5 inches long
• wearing true 6 months sizes in most brands
• still wearing size 2 diapers
• putting everything in her mouth she can get her hands on
• squirmy as can be when she lays on her back
• lifting her shoulders and head when we lay her on her belly
• rolling from back to front and front to back
• eating processed vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots and squash
• eating fresh fruit like watermelon, cantalope and grapes in her mesh feeder
• beginning to hold onto a sippy cup for water
• very close to sitting up on her own
• standing up while holding onto our fingers
• happier when facing out while we hold her
• sleeping from about 9:00pm until 7:00am (and sometimes until more like 10:00am!)
• still random on her naps...sometimes she takes 1 nap for 2 hours and other times she takes 2-3 naps for 30 minutes
• giggling :)
• highly entertained when we play 'peek-a-boo'
• smiling all the time
• talking loudly that can evolve into crying and whining if we don't talk back to her
• the best thing our family could ever have asked for.

Ben helped me get some cute giggles out of her tonight.  Here is a little video of it.  Just makes me smile.

NICU Reunion

There were times while Audrey was in the NICU that I thought she would NEVER get to come home.  The thing that kept me going day after day was looking forward to the milestones she would have in the near future...coming home, her first Easter, first Mother's Day, etc.
One of the milestones we talked to the nurses in the NICU about was the NICU reunion.   The nurses told us that it would be in July this year.  I remember thinking that Audie would be nearly 7 months old by the time we went to it.  It seemed like SO far away!
I have mixed feelings when I think back to the time we spent in the NICU.  There were times of fear and overwhelming saddness, but they are really outweighed by the excitement, pride and true love we felt as well.  The reunion served as a wonderful way to have a sort of closure to one aspect of our stay there and to celebrate all of the good that the doctors and nurses brought to our lives.  We saw many of the nurses there who helped us throughout our stay and who took such wonderful care of our little babies...(Ben included!)
Ben, Audrey and I went to the reunion this morning and it was perfect!  Ben was recognized, too...since he is also a 'NICU grad'.  It was so cute...they had a jungle theme:

"We're WILD About our NICU Babies".

Cute little giraffe

They had face painting, games, bubbles and balloon animals.  (Of course, Ben got Harry Potter's scar on his head from the face painters and a sword balloon from the balloon lady!)



Today was a day to celebrate.  We caught up with a few of the nurses we had become so close to.  They remembered Audrey because she was one of the four babies in the NICU over Christmas.  We cannot put into words how much we appreciate these ladies!

Nurse Debbie

Daisy, Cindy and Kathy

We even ran into two of Audrey's old 'roomies'...twins Bella and Levi.

Ironically, their mom, Shana, and their big brother, Isaac, used to live down our street.  Ben and Isaac used to play together in nothing but their diapers in our front yards.  They didn't remember each other, but they were inseparable at the reunion.  I think Ben has made a new best friend!

Before we go...

Before we packed up and got ready to head home from our vacation, we took some time to revisit our favorite 'hot spots' in Nashville:  Cooter's (of course!) and the Adventure Children's Museum.

I LOVE the Adventure Museum.  It is probably the best children's museum I have ever been to.  They have so many things that are hands-on for the kids.  They had a blast!

Ben even got to play on the simulated 'moon walk'.  He wasn't big enough to do it two years ago...the last time we came to the museum, so he made sure he got to this time!



Ben and Abby even got to crawl through a pretend digestive system and leave the slide as a 'fart'!  They were crazy about that!

Happy Birthday, America!!

We got to celebrate the 4th this year in Brentwood, TN.  So much fun and such a beautiful day!!

Vacation!!

For the third summer in a row, we all went to Aunt Gloria and Uncle Bill's house in Nashville for vacation.  They are such great hosts!  It is always so fun and relaxing to stay with them.
Me and the kids rode out with Aunt Gloria and Uncle Bill.  We got to ride in style...in a full size van with lots of leg room and a huge tv screen!

Audrey was such a good girl for the trip.  We were worried that she wouldn't do very well being stuck in the car for so long, but she really surprised us.  :)  This is what she looked like a majority of the trip.

 We spent alot of our time during the day by the pool. 

Ben helped Uncle Bill mow the yard and get everything ready for a party we would have the next day.

Then, on Saturday, we had a party!  There were tons of kids there, and Ben and Abby had so much fun playing with them!!

Audrey and me getting ready for the party!

It was all just a bit much for little Audie.  She got in a lil cat nap while the kiddos swam. 

The kids also went and played miniature golf...fun times!!

Ben even scored a whole in one!