Transitions

Jackson and Audrey both began some transitions this weekend. Audrey had her last bottle Friday night. She's done really well drinking whole milk with her meals from a sippy cup. Since her birthday we've dropped one bottle a week. We started with her morning bottle. Then we dropped her lunch bottle, and finally, we dropped her bedtime bottle this weekend. The morning and lunch bottles were an easy transition. The bedtime bottle has been a little harder. Sitting in our lap having that bottle was how she calmed down from the day and got ready to sleep. She has a good bedtime routine, but that bottle really made her slow down (she likes to go non-stop!). She is still doing well overall, but she cries for a little while before settling down to sleep.

Jackson began night time potty training this weekend! Since he woke up dry almost every morning last week, we decided it was time. A couple of nights he's had an accident an hour or so after going to bed, but he's also had a couple of successful nights too. We think he enjoys helping us change his sheets, so we're hoping he doesn't start having accidents on purpose!

This was a nice relaxing weekend for us. I got to go to dinner in midtown with some girlfriends Friday night to celebrate Pam's upcoming wedding, which was a lot of fun. Then we spent most of the weekend either at the park or playing in the back yard. I didn't pull out the camera as much this weekend, but we did get a few shots.

This is Jackson pouting. I can't remember why, but we see this face whenever he doesn't get his way.

It wasn't long before he was all smiles again though!

Audrey had fun singing and dancing for us. Her favorite song right now is "If You're Happy and You Know It...". She's really good at clapping and stomping!

Ross also got a sweet picture of me and Audrey swinging. I downloaded some actions/effects for Photoshop Elements recently, so I played with them a little here.

Jackson and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and washed our cars while Ross and Audrey ran some errands. Jackson was careful to wash every part!

It was another great weekend! Aside from allergies, I'm loving this time of year!

GTab for Google Chrome

I've just published my first piece of original software for public consumption. Okay, it's not as monumental as it sounds...I made a very simple Google Chrome extension called GTab. Basically, all it does is make Google links from Google webpages open in the same window/tab. I wanted to be able to switch between GMail, Google Calendar, and other Google applications without popping up new windows and tabs. If you use Chrome, give it a try and let me know what you think.

The Day After

The day after Audrey's party was a lot of fun too. Jackson and Audrey got to play with all of the new toys and enjoy another gorgeous day outside, which means I took a TON of pictures. Here are a couple of JD and Audrey enjoying the "band in a box" Audrey got. I have a feeling we'll have a marching band going in no time!

Here are a few of my favorite shots of the kids playing outside. It was really hard to narrow them down, so there are a bunch in the album.

We started with a little yard work. The kids helped us pick up some of the last oranges from our tree. It produced hundreds this year, and they were delicious!

After gathering all that were on the ground, JD picked as many as he could reach with Daddy's help...Daddy got his workout!

Then we just had fun playing around in the yard and on the playset.

This brother and sister are so adorable when they play together. It just warms my heart!

Of course, watching them with their Daddy is pretty sweet too!

It was a great end to an amazing weekend!

Checking Out Mitchell

Ross' sister, Leslie, and our nephew, Mitchell, came in for Audrey's birthday this weekend. When he arrived Jackson and Audrey were eager to check him out.

Audrey spent most of her time following him around and trying to give him hugs. It was pretty cute, but I don't think Mitchell was used to having his personal space taken over.

Mitchell was a lot of fun to have around this weekend. We got to see a full range of his emotions. He went from crying, to being silly, to giving me huge grins within a couple of minutes. It was great!

I just love this picture of him play peek-a-boo with the door.

It meant so much to have them here this weekend! There are a few more pictures of our adorable nephew playing with JD and Audrey in the album.

Audrey's Party was a Hoot!

Audrey's 1st birthday party was owl themed, and it was a "hoot" from start to finish. I had fun with the theme and got lots of help pulling it all together. Here are some pictures of the set up before everyone arrived.

The gift table had pretty pink and white tulips and a tree covered in little owls with pictures of Audrey from throughout the year on one side.

The party favors were bright colored kid cups with fun toys inside and an adorable chocolate owl made by my friend, Barbara, with an "owl" thank you attached.

The menu included Ross' homemade pimento cheese sandwiches, black bean wraps, homemade salsa and chips, Oreo truffles, fruit salad, veggies and dip, crackers with meat and cheese, animal crackers, goldfish, and a delicious cake from The Cake Lady Bakery. The tables were, of course, decorated with pictures of Audrey and a "Happy Birthday" banner.

The activities for the party mostly involved the swing set in our backyard and every ball we could find, but we also had an owl bean bag toss, which was put together with the help of my dad, and a craft for those who wanted to take a break inside. The craft was to make your own owl...they both turned out pretty cute!

We got the birthday girl dressed after a short nap, and the fun began!

Here are a few snap shots of the fun.

Here are the photos of that first bite of sweet goodness we call cake. She was a fan!

Eventually, she got a little help.

Finally, here are some of my favorites of the birthday girl enjoying her party!

Here are two of the sweetest shots from the day...

Believe it or not, there are more pictures in the album. We couldn't have asked for a better day or a better way to celebrate Audrey's 1st birthday!