Piedmont Visit to Newport

We had a great beginning to our September- Gramma, Grandpop, Emmi and Bryan came to visit us all the way from Florida. Ellie was so excited to see them and we had the best time. Not to mention the heat has broken and we could not ask for more beautiful weather.

The visit was short but we packed alot into the short time we had- golf, outlets, cliff walk, lobster, fort adams- pretty much Newport at its best. I have to mention the lobster- it was so great to sit at a table full of adults wearing bibs not mention it was about the best corn I have ever eaten in my life- I would say it is one of the best meals we have had since we got here and I am glad we experienced it with our family.

Tripp is getting more and more alert and I loved showing him off- If you ask me we have the cutest kids ever and nothing makes me happier than to see them with their family. we were so touched that everyone came all the way to Newport from Florida and hopefully they had as great a time visitng as we had entertaining. As you can see from all the smiles below, I am pretty sure they did!

How much changes in 2 years!

Some moms are great at keeping a baby book or scrapbooking- besides taking a ton of picstures, all I have to really show ellie that I cared and tried to keep memories is this blog. Supposedly there is a website that will convert your blog into a memory book so I am making this post (as well as all the others) in the hopes of showing Ellie and Tripp someday that even if their mommy was not the most organized/creative mommy - that she cares and loves them just as much and treasured every moment and milestone they had.

So here is picture reflection on how much our little angel has changed in her two years of life- it is a constant reminder to me how I should cherish every moment with Tripp because before I know it he will be two too!

Here are ellie's two year old stats- weight- 22 lbs (10%-we made the charts - woo hoo); height- 32 inches (3%); and I can not remember the measurement but I know her head was 80% as well. I am sure her head is so big because of her large brain because she is one smart kid- I know I am a little prejudice but her teachers at school confirm that she is very intelligent for her age. She speaks so clearly and can actually have a conversation. She has such the little personality and loves to tease. She is the best big sister and just loves and kisses on Tripp. She is VERY dramatic and it makes me worry for those teenage years! She dances, sings, plays with dolls and loves to laugh. I could not have asked for a more perfect angel. She often forgets to put her on her listening ears but that is to be expected with a two year old. And just want I want to scream in frustration she does something so sweet like run up for no reason and hug you and say love you mommy- and your heart melts. If these first two years are any indication of things to come, I can not wait! We love you Ellie!

Mystic Aquarium and other fun

We have been adjusting to being a family of four and having alot of fun doing it. Last weekend we ventured out to the Mystic Aquarium. It was fun but I think still a little over ellie's head-plus it was pretty crowded and people were not very considerate of the stroller/toddler/infant we had in tow- I have to remind myself we are not in the south. But it was worth the trip and another thing we can check off of our list of things we wanted to try and do while here in Newport.

Our time here is starting to come to an end and it is bittersweet. We have really enjoyed our time and all the adventures we have had but we are also very very excited to get back to our friends and the comfortableness we have in Oklahoma. It in ways feels like we have been on an extended vacation with tons and tons of family time and now we are heading back to reality- we are very thankful for our time but are excited for our future. Things change so quickly and we are just trying to soak in these last couple months here in Newport and hopefully we will have cooler weather from here on out. Enjoy all the pics.

Look what I can do!

So as not to neglect our second child- Mike and I are making sure to get plenty of pics and video of tripp too! He is such a strong little boy- already holding his head up really well and unlike Ellie, he loves tummy time. The other day he rolled himself over several times- pretty advance. Not sure how much he meant to do it or whether it was caused by the fact that his large head moved in that direction and is body just followed- but we are proud nevertheless. I took Tripp for his two month and he is quite a bit bigger than Ellie. He weighs in at 11 lbs 2 ounces (57%), 22 in (30%) and 16 in head (80%)- I don't think Ellie was over 11 pounds until 6 months. He is a happy baby and is sleeping pretty well so we are all feeling better these days. As you can tell fromt he video- Ellie is a great big sis- always helping and teaching Tripp. I can not wait to watch them grow up together but I already feel like time is going too fast so things can definitely slow down a little so that my babies stay babies for awhile.

Our little Star!!!

First video to post so not sure this going to work- fingers crossed. Ellie has the cutest personality and she is a natural performer. She loves to dance and perform songs and speaks so clear for her age- her sweet little voice is by far one of the best sounds I have ever heard and we are trying to catch it more and more on video so we can remember how sweet she is now (we will probably need to watch these videos often during her trying teen years!). Enjoy!

Ellie's 2nd Birthday

I can not believe she is two!!! Ellie had a great birthday weekend- we rented a bouncy house, her favorite, and it was the best money we have ever spent. we rented it for the whole weekend and Ellie bounced her little heart out which lead to great naps and night sleep- like I said, money well spent. We had a birthday party and had the perfect amount of friends over. It was so fun to watch ellie run around with all the little kids and luckily the heat had broke and we had great weather. All in all I would say the second birthday was a success.

Sorry for the lack of abundant photos- I am finding it impossible to get any photos of our precious 2 year old- she immediately runs the other direction when she sees a camera- but we got a few. Enjoy.

Summer in Newport/ Glass Family Visit

This post is picture heavy as I know you would rather see pictures of my little angels rather than read my witty commentary! And I can't blame you as they are the cutest thing this side of heaven. We have had a very busy month. My mom arrived on July 13th and I was very excited to take advantage and get in some good naps- thanks mom. The rest of my family arrived during the last week in July. It was a very busy time for our family of four but so worth it. Watching Ellie with her cousins was one of the best things I have ever experienced- she thought of herself as one of the big kids and just ran and laughed- it was amazing- and my nieces and nephews were just precious with both of my babies. We had so much fun! I wish we all lived closer but I treasure our visits however short or long they are. Tripp was a trooper being carted everywhere and handed off to anyone who would hold him. So different with the second child. We had an early birthday party with the family and ellie loved everyone singing to her. We had her real birthday party yesterday (pictures to come) but it was a huge success.

As an update on our precocious two year old- she is more than we could ever ask for. She is talking more and more and repeats EVERYTHING we say. As an example, often when I am upstairs feeding Tripp mike will yell up- Amy, how are you doing? at which point Ellie yells "Mommy, how you doing?"- it is hilarious. she speaks full sentences and really is very clear in her speach. She has the funniest personality, loves to dance, it is so friendly and outgoing. At her party yesterday, she was running around with all her friends and laughing hysterically- she is just such a joy. She has her moments but what two year old doesn't? She is the best little girl we could ever have dreamed of and these have by far been the best two years of our life- only to get more wonderful now that we have Tripp too.

Enjoy the pics! Love Amy