Cousins

I brought the kids all outside again and I couldn't pass up taking these adorable pictures of the cousins all laying together on a blanket I put on the grass.

Don't you love how Gavin's arm is around Alexis and he grabbed her hand? I think he'll always look out for his little cousin.

Dylan wanted to join in on the fun. They all love to laugh together. Look at those big smiles.

Isn't it precious how Gavin and Lexi play together? I love to watch babies interact. It's like they have their own way of communicating that only other babies understand.

Sleeping babies

It was fun to have my nephew, Gavin, back at my house for daycare. I missed him so much while I was on maternity leave and it seems like he grew twice the size when he came back. I turned on the sprinklers for the older kids in the morning and while they played in the water, both of my babies, Lexi and Gavin fell asleep. So, I thought it was too priceless to pass up a Kodak moment.

Dylan loves having his cousin back, especially since now there are two babies to play with and help take care of. He is such a good big brother and big cousin. I bet Gavin and Dylan will have so much fun playing together as they get older.

Pictures from outside

I started watching kids in my daycare again this week. It was an adjustment at first, waking up early to get the house ready, and having to share my attention for my kids with the other kids I watch. However, it was fun to have Dylan's friends here again to keep him entertained and busy all day. Dylan is napping really well and getting really tired at night since he's been using so much energy playing with the kids this week, and I sure have been ready for bed at night too. Yesterday when I took the kids outside, I captured these pictures that I thought were so adorable. I just had to share them.




I let Dylan pick some of the flowers around our house. He loves to smell them and was trying to let Lexi smell them too.










Look at my beautiful baby girl. She loves being outside so much, she kept smiling on her blanket in the grass.

Baby's First Swim

Alexis went in the pool with me for the first time. Fortunately, my parents' pool is a warm 90 degrees, so it felt like a warm bath. Lexi fell asleep on my chest and slept the whole time we were in the pool. Who knew a swim could be so relaxing? That's my girl, lounging in the pool already. I can see who will be sunbathing with me in the summers, while her brother wears everyone out playing and swimming like a fish.

Big boy bike

My dad (Papa Mac) bought Dylan a bike with training wheels and he has been struggling with trying to make it go by himself. Finally, last Friday, he started to catch on to the idea of pedalling. Unfortunately, when he pedals, he forgets to steer, so we had some funny moments of him riding into the ditch. But, he was so proud to be able to ride his bike by himself, and we were all proud of him too.

Dylan's cookie day

Last week, while Lexi slept, I decided to do something special with Dylan. So, we made chocolate chip cookies. He loves to help me in the kitchen, but it was his first time making cookies and he loved helping me measure out the ingredients. (Even though he ended up with more of it on the counter than in the measuring cup.) The best part, of course, was eating the dough afterwards. I let Dylan sit on the floor with what was left in the bowl and on the beaters. Needless to say he was happy, and a little hyper all evening.

Alexis Joy Brady!!!

Alexis Joy was born on Tuesday, July 1 at 3:44 p.m. weighing 8 lbs, 4 oz., and was 21 inches long. She is absolutely the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen and I love her so much. Getting to her being born is another story, however. After almost 2 weeks of contractions and being sent home from the hospital once, my doctor finally had me come into the hospital to have my labor induced. I, of course not loving pain, wanted an epidural, so after the contractions were severe enough, I got some pain relief, until the pump on the epidural broke and it completely wore off. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist was in surgery, so most of the worst of my labor was natural. I guess I'm tougher than I thought. Then, Alexis dropped so quickly into the birth canal that her heart rate dropped rapidly and the nurses all came in to put oxygen on me and try to bring her heart rate back up. Needless to say, that was the scariest moment of my life. Fortunately, Lexi recovered quickly. I think she just might be a bit of a drama queen. She may get that from me. After all of that drama, she was born perfectly healthy, and we were so excited to meet our beautiful girl. She is a little angel so far, sleeping 3-4 hours at a time at night, so I can actually wake up rested. She's very laid back, and loves to be held and watch everybody and everything in those few hours she's awake. Dylan loves having a baby sister, and wants to hold her all of the time. But, he needs extra attention from us right now, and is very attached to Terry. So, it's a balancing act to bring a new baby in, but I think our family is just perfect right now.



Terry, Dylan, and I went to the beach while I was having contractions, so here I am, very uncomfortable, but hoping to see my daughter soon.











Finally, meeting Alexis face-to-face is one of the happiest moments in my life. I am so blessed.











Alexis Joy ("Lexi") has beautiful blue eyes, that are very similar to Dylan's when he was born. and her hair is almost blonde. As you can see, she loves to suck on those fingers.

















Can you guess who the proud father is?















Our family when we first brought Lexi home from the hospital. Dylan was so excited to hold her.