hilton head part 1- lots of pics....

well- to start off- these pics are in reverse order. and this isn't even the best of them either. i have some from lisa, my mom and kate yet to upload- so beware that there will be another round here soon. we had a blast- it was so much fun and noah loves the beach/water. no surprise there as his nana and papa have been working with him in the water since birth! so- enjoy the pics- and check back for more.

ready to head back home- he looks good pushing a stroller (a.k.a. the bus)- huh?

ains and auntie lisa
what happens when daddy dresses him after spending a week at the beach- he's holding the truck from beth, andy, siena and ella- thanks guys- he loves it!
playing bocce ball with sienafun at the beach

more fun at the beach

what ainsley did while we were there

daddy drew a thomas the train in the sand for noah

more of what ainsley did while we were there

jumping in the sand pools that noah and daddy built

playing in someone else's sand pit with their shovel and pail

love this pic- he's so sweet- and such a little man

"surfing" with will in the mini beaches after the tide went out

nana and noah cruising the beachtesting out the waters

mini beach again

i hate this hat- why do you make me wear this stuff mama?

sunrise at the beach- where ainsley spent the week- sleeping of course. for my pregnant friends- this sling was the BEST investment i think i have made in awhile

learning about beach sand for the first time

auntie katy taking me into the water

look mom- i can wear her hat since it's too big for herains and her hat that's too big- here's hoping it fits next summer because it's so stinkin cute!

meeting uncle will for the first time!

auntie katy and the bus- we're pretty sure we provided her a solid week of reasons to hold out on having kiddos :) thanks auntie! we couldn't have made it without you!!!

dear mommy

dear mommy,
i know that you have a schedule that you want me to follow- however, i am on vacation- and i choose not to follow that silly schedule. and just so you know i find schedules useless. so- for the rest of the vacation if you could forget about that schedule- i think that would be great. besides, if you don't put these swim trunks on me- auntie katy will because she loves me. and she wants me to have fun. so- please do as i ask and TAKE ME TO THE BEACH!!!

view from my window

i could totally get used to this!

content.... but only for a moment

how fast can you go from happy to MAD...... miss ainsley can do it pretty fast....

4 happy babies

so- as it turns out- when you're a nurse on the labor and delivery unit- having a baby can be contagious (planned or unplanned- right ladies??!! :). these four little ones were all born this summer- and all their mommies work on the same floor. baby caroline on the right is the oldest, then baby cory (far left), then miss ains (middle right) followed shortly after by miss rebecca (middle left). i'm sure panera appreciated us invading their restaurant with not only these 4, but another 5 kiddos running around crazy. regardless- it was fun catching up and seeing how much they have changed and grown already. and lucky for me- i'll get to catch up with their mommies often when i head back to work.

who else wants a ride?

we were at my parents house last night for dinner and this is what entertained both lisa and noah. usually he's getting pushed- but i think lisa paid him in m&m's to score a ride. i can't say for sure- but it's a good guess. he's a good pusher and managed to crash only a few times.

noah's first day of "school"

thanks for the backpack erin!! he LOVES it.

so noah headed off to his first day of "school" yesterday. by "school"- i mean a mom's day out program at a church near our house. he goes on wednesdays from 9:30-2. kinda a long day for him i think- especially since his nap time is right after lunch. his teacher- miss angela- said the morning went well but she mentioned that he doesn't like to pick up toys. not surprised. she also mentioned that he did not want to give up "his" thomas train when it was time to go outside. not surprised. and lastly she mentioned that she can tell that he stays home with me most of the time. again, not surprised. so we have a little work to do i guess. she did day she thinks he had a great time and (surprisingly) plays well with the other kiddos. so that's a relief. he's not hitting anyone.... yet. maybe he won't since he's the youngest in the class. all in all i think it went well. and let me say what a nice morning/afternoon i had! haven't gotten that much stuff done in quite some time. ains and i went all over running errands, having a late breakfast, lunch out with my parents- i'd forgotten what it was like to eat without battling a toddler. but, i still missed the little guy. missed him A LOT. good thing kindergarten is a ways off yet.

giving ains some lovin before we headed off

not sure why your getting all teary mom and taking all those pics....
let's go! (obviously i should have spent some of my free time washing the door!)

(note the sweet ride to the right.... :) never thought i would love driving a mini)

new friends (they just don't know it yet)

this is ainsley's new friend ryder. what she just doesn't know yet is that i have big plans for her and ryder. i still gotta talk to his mom about it- but i think they make a great couple- don't you? and how perfect. we love his mom and dad- we've known them a long time. it's a sweet set-up. and his mom and i have had our fair share of fun together- so nothing these two might get into in the years ahead is getting past us :)
thanks for meeting us for lunch ryder and kristin- we had a great time and so glad to finally meet your little man (our future son-in-law :)

because i want her to.....

...... sleep on her back, she sleeps on her stomach. i'm sure that's why. so this is our daily battle, and quite possibly why she doesn't nap well during the day. because i try to force her onto her back. and she doesn't like it. at all. but she loves her stomach. that's for sure.

are they related??

noah- one month old

ainsley- one month old
















what do you think- do they look alike? some people see her and say she really looks like him- and then the next person tells me they look nothing alike. jurys still out for me. i just think she looks like her daddy.

one month old

so here's little miss at one month. she's just over 8 pounds, nursing well, had a few first smiles, starting to sleep longer at nighttime (i'm getting at least one 6 hour stretch!), tolerates a lot from her big brother, is definitely a "snuggler". she is content and happy- IF someone is holding her. she is a little more high maintenance than her brother was, but we're ok with that. we're working on getting out of the habit of having her in our room- but let's face it- wherever she'll sleep is fine with me!

playing with the boys

not much to say about this post. i think it's clear- he has a true obsession with thomas the train. uncle d.j. helped him set it up, and then it was all over from there. he played with this the entire time we were at my dad's house. i think he had the most fun playing with grandpa and G.U.S. (great uncle steve :)