Kendall's Photo Shoot

On Friday, a friend who is starting a photography business came over to practice taking pictures of newborns on Kendall. She snapped a ton of shots and these are a few of the ones I really liked. Enjoy!

First Day of School

Riley attended his first day of preschool on Monday, August 18. When he came home I asked him how his day went, if he liked his teacher, classmates, what they learned, etc. In typical boy fashion, I got a lot of "I don't know." After day #2, it was a different story. He started to share a lot of stuff that they had done that day...Learning about the letter "I", using marbles to paint, learning about primary colors, being the helper on the way back from the playground (which earned him an extra sticker!), etc. He really enjoys going to school - and mommy enjoys him going to school! After 3 days of being cooped up in the house with Riley and Kendall while the rains and winds pounded the house last week, it feels good to be back on our schedule!

A Visit to the Fire Station

Last Friday Riley got to visit one of the Jacksonville Fire Stations with some friends. He got to see what they store on the trucks, the hoses, sit in the seats on the truck as well as check out the equipment a fire fighter must wear while fighting a fire. He also got to see a ladder truck with the ladder extended. That was probably the best part...well, except when we got to go inside the fire house and sit in the comfy Lazy Boys and watch the Olympics on the big screen t.v. The kids also enjoyed seeing where the fire fighters sleep and eat. Riley was able to find our house on the large map of the area that they had drawn on the wall.

Is it Riley or Kendall?

After numerous comments on how much Riley and Kendall look alike, I decided to look through some older pictures of Riley. Check out these two pictures. You can view the video below to figure out which one is Kendall, but I thought it was amazing how much they do look alike. Andy and I don't think our kids look like either of us, but we know they are ours.

Splish Splash I was Taking a Bath...

Here is our darling angel taking her first bath. She loved every minute of being in the tub. She only cried when it was time to get out - because she was cold! When I turned her over to clean her back, she decided to practice her breaststroke kick and in the process, opened the valve that drains the water from the tub. I immediately grabbed some towels to mop up the mess. Then after I got her out and started to dry her off, she decided it was time to poop! All over the beautiful towel that Miss Kim had given her and herself! What a mess! I ended up having to bath her all over again. At least she enjoyed it. Bath #2 went much better a few days later.

2 Weeks & Counting

Kendall turned 2 weeks old yesterday. To celebrate, we took a trip to the doctor's office. We discovered that our precious little addition has been doing a terrific job growing since she's been born. She has exceeded her birth weight and is now up to 6 lbs. 11 oz. She was 5 lbs. 14 oz. the week before. She has also grown an inch and a half since her birth. We were so pleased that we decided to take her Angies for lunch. She was a perfect angel. She sat in her car seat and slept while we (Daddy, Riley, Aunt Jenn and Mommy) all enjoyed our subs and sweet tea. I am happy to report that the swelling and pitting edema in my legs, ankles and feet have since disappeared. It feels so good to be able to wear any shoe in my closet...now if I could just figure out how to wear all the clothes that have been hanging in my closet for the past 10 months, I'd really be happy! My mom and Dad left last Friday after spending 3 weeks with Riley - 2 of which were spent at our house helping us while I was in the hospital and once Kendall and I came home. Andy's sister, Jenn, is here with us this week and then Andy's mom will arrive this weekend after Jenn departs. It's wonderful to have so much help. My recovery was much easier with Kendall than with Riley. She's been a great baby so far. She's been sleeping for 4-6 hour stretches at night. She is usually up most of the morning - eating, taking a short cat nap, then ready to eat again within 45 min. This pattern continues until afternoon when she takes another hard core nap before waking at dinner time. We are blessed to have such a good baby. We're hoping and praying that things continue on this course. After the stress of Riley's first 1 1/2 years of life, this seems like a walk in the park. Riley adores his little sister and loves to help me whenever he can. He is on diaper patrol every day - which means he wants to throw the diapers out, not change them. If she cries, he tries to calm her by putting his hand on her chest or playing her music. He's been very sweet towards her and hasn't shown any signs of resentment or regression. We feel very blessed and praise God for our wonderful family. Please continue to pray for us as we grow as a family. Every day brings a new experience and is a treasure.