A Goode Time With Our Favorites

We closed out the month of July with a BANG!!  The Goode family came to stay with us for 4 days and we loved every minute of it!  They came in Saturday after Brooks' party and we ordered pizza and played outside until dark.  Sunday, the 10 of us spent the entire day at the Aquatic Center.  According to Olivia Kate, Jack Henry, and Sam Wyatt it was a HIT!  We picked up burgers from Five Guys afterwards and headed home to relax. Reese was exhausted, she played her little heart out all day.

Monday, after a leisurely morning at home and a delicious breakfast made my Matt, we girls did some shopping while the boys explored Cabella's. It was actually cloudy with a nice breeze, so we decided to enjoy a late lunch on the patio at Chuy's. It was perfect! That night we went swimming at Rusty and Gayle's pool and played some wiffle ball. Needless to say, my little nuggets were beat. They fell asleep on the way home and slept the entire night. It was a perfect summer night!

Tuesday, I had to work...but the rest of the crew had a fun day.  They all went to see "The Secret Life of Pets" and then enjoyed lunch at Steak n' Shake.  It was a rainy and gloomy day, but it cleared up around 6:00 that evening.  Matt and I made a big dinner of grilled chicken thighs, squash/zucchini and onions, a big pan of sweet green beans, and French bread for everyone that evening.  After we finished dinner, we headed to the neighborhood pool for a little night swimming.  It was the perfect end to our awesome time together!!

After the movies, with their Max and Gidget animals :))

Big man was beyond exhausted!

We are so thankful for such a fun time with our amazing family.  I know Matt and Emily enjoyed getting to just spend time together.  We hope that this will become an annual thing and this crew will come back to see us next summer!!  We LOVE those Goodes!!!

Brooks' Birthday Party

We had Brooks' second birthday party at Little Gym. He has always had fun in their classes, so we figured what better place to have it since he can run around, tackle mats, throw balls, and blow bubbles. It was perfect!

I wish I would've taken a few more pictures, but lets be honest...this boy never sits still long enough.  He was spoiled by friends and family with cars, trains, puzzles, books, a t-ball set, an outside roller coaster, and so much more. Sweet guy didn't even make it out of the parking lot of the Little Gym before falling fast asleep.  You can see he didn't even wake up when we moved him from the car on to our bed.  This little partier slept 2 hours when we got home.

It was a great celebration for our precious baby boy!!!

Our Brooks is TWO!!

Oh my sweet boy!!  How are you 2 years old?  It seems like yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital with that head full of dark hair on July 23.  Time is flying and I wish it would slow down.  You are ALL B-O-Y!!  You love to throw things, play with any kind of ball (favorites are basketball and soccer ball), you love cars and trains, and you love to read books.  It might be too early to tell, but we think you're a lefty.  You kick with your left foot and use your left hand for almost everything :)

Your crazy big appetite has slowed down, you still love to eat, but not near the amount that you use to. You LOVE spoonfuls of peanut butter, are obsessed with ketchup or "dipping" your food in anything, and still like your milk in the morning and before bed.  You eat really well, and we haven't found too many things you don't like.  

You favorite shows to watch are Peppa Pig, Curious George, and Paw Patrol.  You are talking up a storm and your vocabulary has just exploded.  When you wake up in the mornings, which is usually in our bed, the first thing you do is sit up and say "Hi!"  It's the cutest thing.  And yes, going back to the part about sleeping in our bed....  Ugh!  You start out every night rocking with me or Daddy in your room after reading a book and it never fails, between 11 and 3, you wake up crying and we just bring you downstairs.  I don't mind so much anymore.  It's just what we're use to now. :)

You and your sister can love on each other one minute, and then be clawing at each other the next.  You are sensitive, and it hurts your feelings if someone takes something from you or gets onto you. But you usually get over it pretty darn fast.  

I could probably go on and on about all the things you do, in which I love. You are such a blessing to our family, Brooks Vaughn!  We love you with every ounce of our being and pray for you every day.  I pray for your safety and health, I pray for your happiness, I pray for your future spouse, and I pray that most importantly, you will always know the Lord.  I pray you will never doubt that He has a great plan for you and that you will have faith in Him and always trust Him to lead you.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Boy!

We love you to the moon!!

Another Fourth of July Celebration....

Since we drove back to AR on Sunday, from LA, we decided to go out to Mom and Dad's farm to see more family.  Kyndall, Blake, and Evie were in town, and to be honest...I was craving a few more baby girl snuggles. ;)  Jack, Patti, Michael, Lindsay, and Aaron were also over for the weekend, so we got to hang out with that crew for the day. 

It was very laid back!  Mom made some delicious casseroles for breakfast, we had pizzas for lunch, and everyone headed home late afternoon to get ready for another busy week. Matt and I consider ourselves so very blessed to have such wonderful families, and this holiday weekend we just added to all the fantastic memories we've made.

We got home that evening and got our lawn chairs out to watch the neighborhood fireworks.  Reese was into it for about 10 minutes, and Brooks wouldn't leave the front porch. 

Sweet boy!!  We opted to go inside and watch some Peppa Pig instead! ;) Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July!!

A Fabulous Fourth with the Fitzgerald's

We always have the best time when we take off to Monroe.  This holiday was no different. We drove to Kyndall and Blake's on Wednesday night to break up the trip.  We all enjoyed extra snuggles from sweet baby Evie.

Thursday, we were off early and got to Amie and Poppy's around lunchtime.  The first thing the kiddos wanted to do was to go down to the dock and feed the fish and turtles.  I have to admit, I get a little anxious when they're close to the bayou.  My fear of alligators, snakes, or any wild  thing getting to close to them makes me extra, extra cautious. Thankfully, they understand that they aren't supposed to be anywhere near the water without an adult.

Thursday night, we went to watch one of Sam Wyatt's baseball games.  He did great!  Reese, Brooks, and Charlie Claire loved playing in the dirt, eating popcorn, sucking on ring pops, and playing with the other kiddos.  Needless to say, this mama couldn't wait to give them a bath that night.

Friday morning, we enjoyed sleeping in until 7:30 and then went down to the dock for a little fishing. Matt caught a tiny brim, and Reese wanted to hold it. (I was SHOCKED...and really proud of her!)  We went swimming that afternoon with all the kids and then Reese and Brooks crashed as soon as we ate lunch and got back to Amie and Poppy's. That night, we went over to Jack and Emily's for pizza and to let the kids run wild.  Charlie Claire and Reese LOVE to dress up.  It was the finest fashion show I've ever been to. ;)

Saturday was our big day to celebrate the 4th!!  Larry cooked ribs, hot dogs for the kids, and we had tons of delicious sides. Then to top it off...dessert consisted of peach and blueberry cobblers, chocolate brownies, blueberry and strawberry cheesecakes, cookies, and anything else you can imagine.  We had such a great time celebrating with family.

Saturday night, we went back over to Jack and Emily's for fireworks. It was a late night for our kiddos, but we had so much fun. We got up and left to drive home on Sunday morning.  I'm so thankful for a wonderful and safe holiday with our LA family.  We sure do love them!!!