Bowling!!!

We took the girls bowling today! I've been thinking of having Abby's 3rd birthday with her friends at a bowling alley, but wasn't sure how much she'd enjoy it. I was reassured that it is a lot of fun, even for a 3 year old! They have bumpers that popped up just on her turn, and there's a cute green dinosaur ramp that pushes over for her to place and push the ball off of! She loved it! So yes, her 3rd bday in October will be BOWLING!!!! We didn't do a 2 year party for her, so I am super excited.....and she is CONSTANTLY reminding us that everything had better be "Cinderella" at her party.....cake especially! Oy!!!

Oh yes, did I (embarssingly) forget to mention that I only beat her by 4 points!!! How did that happen?? I guess I needed the bumpers too!

Carrying her BIG (8 pound) ball over to the ramp all by herself!

Daddy helping her get it on there just right.

Clapping for herself in excitement!

Excitedly awaiting her next turn.....after daddy!

Soccer Ball Fun

While at the park, Abby kicked around her friend Emily's soccer ball......really well!
So Mike is off to buy her a soccer ball today.

Concert in the Park

Saturday night we met our friends the Mitzner's at a park in Norfolk where they were holding a free concert! So we bagged dinner and went over to let the girls run around! Abby was a sweaty, tired mess by the time we left! Good fun!! Oh, and Maddy now prefers Bud Light!

"Hmmmm.....no one seems to care that I stole daddy's drink!

This is the kind of bottle I'm talking about mom"

Maddy's 9 Month Check-Up Stats

I took Maddy to her 9 month check-up this week! Here are her stats:

22 pounds, 29 inches (grew 2.5" in the last 3 months!)

In the 90th Percentile for both height and weight!!

He gave us the go ahead for soft/small finger foods of all kinds.

She is now crawling EVERYWHERE!!! She now knows how fun playtime is now that she can go wherever she wants.

Grandma Visits

Grandma Donna came to visit the last few days and we had a great time relaxing and getting out a bit. Mike and I got to celebrate a belated night out for our anniversary from last month (6 years) while Grandma stayed home with the girls. Then my mom and I got to go out for dinner & a movie the next night while daddy stayed home. Add in a little mother-daughter shopping, and the weekend was complete! The girls had so much fun with her, and Abby was sad to see her go.

Much needed trip to the "Cracker Barrell" for lunch! Just the girls.

Party Fun

This past Saturday was Abby's friend Will's 3rd Birthday Party. It was "Carnival" themed, so the kids had a blast! Here are some shots of Abby having a great time! We enjoyed it too since we took her and left Maddy at home with Grandma Donna!

Ring Toss! She took a while deciding which stick to toss it to.

Mommy gave her a side-ponytail 'do for the day~! The glasses were a party gift and she LOVES them! She is really into sunglasses lately.

Yummy popcorn!!

Pin the tail on the donkey!!! I think she peeked! She got it pretty close!

Did I mention she also LOVES lollipops! And the facepainting was great too! A flower on one cheek and a cloud on the other. A day of all her favorite things.

And her BFF Emily!

Shopping time!

Shopping will never be the same again, with two kids in tow! Oh well, they are darn cute and make up for the extra work. Helps mommy shop efficiently thats for sure.

Costco time! Maddy was munching on pizza crust! She's just about to table food!! Anyday now!

At the commissary for pure mommy torture. 2 kids there is not enjoyable nor effective! I always forget things on the list because I'm rushing to get out of there. But they do love steering their cars! And have not yet started picking on each other........one day soon I'm sure.

Look Who's 9 Months Old!!!

WOW! Our baby girl turned 9 months old yesterday.....:)

She is growing up fast. Here are some recent pics and her new happenings:

*Started crawling across the room this week! Anyday now she will figure out she can move from room to room....

*Pulls up to her knees & can go from crawling back to sitting

*Eats 3 baby food meals a day, and munches on baby puff snacks

*Sleeps ALL night (since 6 mos old) 12 hrs!

*Naps twice a day

*Loves her big sister

*Happiest in the water, splashing in the pool or bath (but really an easy baby anywhere!!)

Ready to crawl!

Starting to get into EVERYTHING. She discovered our rockband/wii basket of remotes! Apparently the microphone is tasty!

In her itsy bitsy teeny weeny........bikini!!! Barely fits!

Bath snowmen! Abby was impressed by my creations, Maddy had no clue what was so funny.

Great Grandparents in VA

Well, we had a fabulous visit with my grandparents from CA this past week!

The girls had so much fun and of course loved all the attention. We went out everyday to explore and do something fun before naptime! (Mike worked all week, so I just realized he isn't in any of the photos....oops!)

Our first day: At an indoor jump place for my weekly playgroup! Abby had a blast! It was our first time at this new facility. Maddy kept busy eating!

Abby and my friends kids climbing up to go down the slide on the other side!

DAY 2: We took the kids down to the Norfolk waterside to play in the water and get lunch!

DAY 3: We took a harbour cruise that tours the Norfolk waterfront and the Naval Base with an audio boat tour. It was a very overcast day, which turned out to be much more enjoyable than hot sun while sitting on a boat deck with 2 squirmy kids!

Up on the bow! Nice and breezy!! Quick family shot!

Self portrait of me and squirmy pants! She did great! Enjoyed hanging onto the side rail and watching the boats pass by.

Abby enjoyed peeking through the port-hole to watch the water pass by!

And of course, we couldn't have a summer visit without time in the pool. Actually, the first few days were too cool to swim....imagine that! Then the heat came in yesterday, so we swam after Maddy went to bed! Very refreshing!

"Thank you for all the fun Great Grandma & Grandpa Reiss!!!"