First Day of Preschool!

Today is Mia's first day of preschool, I can't believe it! We went last week so she could pick out her backpack and lunchbox, and she has been wearing and carrying them around ever since. She was really excited to go this morning, but of course when we got there she got very quiet! I'm sure she'll be just fine, though, after she adjusts to her new little schedule. :) Here are some pictures from this morning before we left...

Not cooperating for the camera - still got her, though!

I know I'm biased, but she was seriously the cutest darn thing. The backpack is half her size!

I'm sure I'll post again shortly once I hear all about her first day!

The Farm!

It has been so nice outside lately, today I decided to take the kids to a nearby farm. I knew Mia would love the animals. We had so much fun! Mia's little mouth never stopped! She kept talking and talking and talking the whole time we were there. The highlight of her day was when we came back by the animals and 2 of the goats had gotten out of their fence. It was so much excitement for her! Anyways, here are some pics (farm pics near the end)...

Drake LOVES the dishwasher

Drake walking around, so proud of himself. It still cracks me up that he is walking because he is so miniature! He rarely crawls since he found his new skill...

Some pics from the farm...

Mia loved this tractor!

Ups and Downs...

This week has definitely been one of ups and downs. On Monday, my grandma (my dad's mom) passed away. She was 85 years old and had been in poor health for quite a while, but it is still never easy. Fortunately she got to meet both our kids. She actually had a special fondness for Mia and talked about her all the time. We obviously went back home this week for the wake, funeral, etc. It was so very sad.

On a happier note, Drake is walking around! He started on Monday. I turned around while I was eating lunch, and he was walking around the kitchen by himself with a big grin on his face. :) We are so excited he can finally do it on his own. If we are close by, he still would rather hold on to us, but he is doing a great job. It's amazing how far he's come in the short week he's been walking. Already he can stand up on his own without hanging on to anything (the wall, couch, etc.). He can also bend down, pick something up, and stand up again without falling over. It is the cutest thing. Here is a short little video from earlier this week of my little bobblehead...

A little update...

Not too much new is happening around here! Thought I would post a few new pics of the kids. They sure are keeping me busy! Although Drake is taking steps on his own, he still wants to hold onto our hands the majority of the time. This mama sure will be happy when he's walking on his own all the time! He's at such a fun age, though. When you start singing Patty Cake, he starts clapping and bouncing up and down. Any time you say 'Hi' or 'Bye,' he starts waving. My mom had them at Target the other day, and she said he was waving to all the strangers. :) She said she noticed all these people waving at them and finally realized it was because Drake was waving to them. And yesterday, I walked into his room after his nap, and he was standing in the corner of his crib, jumping up and down on his mattress like it was a trampoline. It sure made Mia and I laugh.

Mia is supposed to start preschool in September. She is still on the waiting list, but when I called last week, she is the first one on the list. So we are hopeful that she gets in - I think she is definitely ready for the interaction. Here's to hoping!

So I know I have been MIA again on this blog, but I have been pretty busy setting up everything for my new photography endeavor. Mostly I have been working on my photography blog, where I will post sneak peeks from client sessions, specials I may run, and any other photography info. You can take a peek at my photography blog here: www.angelavaughters.com/blog. I did my first maternity session this past Thursday and will be posting some sneak peeks from that session there in the next week or so - so check back! :)


Anyways, thanks again for checking on us! On to some pics!

Drake in the bounce house at our neighbor's birthday party...

Mia all serious about shooting the silly string


I know she's thinking, "Oh, no. How are we going to clean up this mess?"


Brock's dad had this wagon sent as an early birthday gift to Drake so we could use it the rest of the summer. The kids love it!

Drake's true enthusiasm for his new wagon!

Drake's Taking Steps!

Yay! Yesterday he took about 5 steps on his own, and today he took another couple. He wants to walk so badly, hopefully it won't be long - and hopefully he will stop whining about not being able to walk anywhere by himself!

He turns ten, yes TEN, months old tomorrow. Does time fly, or what?! On one hand it feels like he should still be an infant, but on the other it feels like he has been here forever. I'm sure all you mommies and daddies know what I mean. Anyways, we'll keep you posted on the little man's progress... :)

Pictures

I finally got a chance to upload more photos. The kids are doing great besides another cold they both have. Drake has decided that crawling is not an acceptable mode of transportation anymore - all he wants to do is walk while holding onto our fingers. He cries like he smashed his toe or something if we set him down to crawl. The faces he makes are hilarious, like 'how dare you set me down?!' Mia went through this stage, too, and I remember feeling like I couldn't wait until she walked on her own! I now feel the same way about Drake. :)

Mia has been quite the little mom to him lately. She keeps an eye on him at all times and makes sure he's not getting into anything he's not supposed to. She will hold onto his little hands and arms so he can walk around. It's so funny watching the two of them. We only let her walk around on the carpet with him for obvious reasons. :) Yesterday I was walking with him, and she came up with a kleenex. She says, "Hold on, sweetie. I gotta wipe your nose." She proceeds to do so and walks away like it is her job to keep Drake in check. So funny!

Drake discovered the stairs and can now crawl up them completely on his own. Mia never really messed with the stairs when she was a baby, so I don't have any gates or anything to keep him off them. But he surely thinks the stairs are the best thing in the world right now. When he gets it in his mind that he's going to conquer them, nothing can divert him. Today he was already up about 4 of them when I ran over to pull him down. He started laughing hysterically like it was a little game and crawled even faster. I'm not sure what we're going to do about that yet!

Mia has been quoting movie lines lately. She says to me yesterday, "Mommy, I work up in the sky, you work down in the dishes." I was like, what the heck is she talking about? But she kept saying it, so I asked her who says that. "Vidia," she says, "From Tinkerbell." I knew that couldn't obviously be the exact line from the movie, so I asked Brock. He's like, "Oh yeah. It says, 'I work up in the sky, you work down in the ditch.'" I guess Mia's version was more appropriate for me since I do usually work down in the dishes - ha! Anyways, on to some pictures!

At my nephew, Cole's birthday - Mia trying to get everyone to pose

Cousins pushing their push toys

Drake is constantly grabbing, pinching, and biting my face and arms - see?!

This is his preferred method of transportation now, walking while holding whoever's fingers are closest

Mia in her recording studio



Curling her eyelashes

Our friends Eric and Jen came to visit. Isaiah and Mia hit it off. :)

Best friends :)

She loves pretending to feed him, just like he's one of her baby dolls. Drake happily obliges.

Ok, so this won't win me any 'Mother of the Year' awards. But I've always had to bribe Mia with a sucker once a week so she'd sit still while I cut her nails. Drake is terrible about getting his nails cut, too, so I tried the sucker trick with him the other day. I'm not proud of it, but I do have to say it worked and he loved it. :)

Mia sharing her sucker with Drake