Harris House

My mom came to visit while James was travelling for work. She has been so faithful to come once a month and spend time with us. We love it when she is here; Drew and Ellie soak up every minute!  This trip we basically shopped and ate our way through Northwest Arkansas. The only meal we ate at home all week was breakfast, and we tried new cafes, salad bars, and of course our favorites- Marketplace and Andy’s custard.  We hit up almost every retail option- indoor mall, outdoor mall, Target, and fun toy stores.  This trip we got to have a girl’s night and get pedicures with Paige and Preston, while D & E were home in bed with a babysitter. 

 Thanks Mom for visiting! We miss you and can’t wait till we see you again.

James and I talk about how fun it is to have a boy and a girl and all the little things we can do separately with them as they get older.  Well, James decided it was time.  Drew needed a toy truck.  He has started pushing bowls around with one hand on the floor, and James declared he’s ready to push a little truck!   So, they went on a boy’s outing to the toy aisle.  Ellie and I tagged along and picked up groceries.  She got a free cookie from the bakery- cause that’s what we do right?  Boys go do stuff together and girls hang out and eat!  Just kidding…..sort of. 

First Father-Son outing

Ellie enjoying some "girly" fun at a friend's birthday "dance party!"

Ellie took her first steps this week!

We’ve been enjoying our deck and being outside.  The weather here is crazy, so we went from winter coats to sunscreen in about 3 days.

This is my view on our walks. I love it.

Helping Dad put together a fun toy we saved from Christmas.

Drew's new hat. (He still got a slight burn.....geez!)

We love wearing shorts, having picnics, and drinking out of straws!

First time on a slide.

Here are some recent clips of Drew and Ellie. I have no idea why the stripes are there and not a picture, but the videos still play. My IT person is stumped as well (Thanks Lindsey!)

Drew and Ellie were 10 months old on the 8th.  Another month has flown by, and their first birthday is rapidly approaching. They are two busy little bees and loving the spring like temperatures we’ve had around here.  I am enjoying watching them play together and love it when I over hear them making each other giggle.  A baby’s laugh is the best sound in the world, and the only thing better is two babies at once!

 Ellie is a brave little girl and loves to stand unassisted and walk behind her little ice cream truck on wheels. Yesterday, she climbed up the 6 foot incline ramp on our backyard swing set! She also climbs up and down the step on our deck. This resulted in a  bloody nose the other night, and she barely even noticed.

 Drew is learning to wave hi and bye more consistantly and slowly but surely learning to sign “more” for more food instead of yelling and screaming.  He loves being with people and playing outside.

 I am working on posting some videos soon, but for now a few shots of my growing babies.

They love the front door and waving hi and bye!

Drew loves playing outside and is not afraid of a little dirt.

Playing the "drums" and eating sticks= happy Drew

Beautiful baby with a nasty runny nose.

Nothing stops Ellie from getting where she's going.

To celebrate my mom’s birthday, we all met in Kansas City at a hotel with an indoor water park- Coco Key.(or Coco KeyS to some )  We all had a fabulous weekend enjoying water slides, a lazy river, and hot tubs. It was even better enjoying 85 degree weather while we watched several inches of snow fall outside.  We hit the water park three different times- Mia had a blast on all the slides. Drew, Ellie, and Addi loved the baby pool and riding on tubes with us around the lazy river.  The hotel had it all- a great workout room, Starbucks to go with our birthday cake, a pool side bar to complete the tropical experience, excellent food in the restaurant and even our own private dining room where babies could yell for more food (Drew) and crawl and run all over the place with out disturbing a whole restaurant.  All the cousins loved the water and playing with each other and the big kids had a lot of fun too!

 Thanks Mom and Dad for a great mini-vacation!