OH MY GOSH!

Well I can tell you this-I severely underestimated the amount of work we would have ahead of us when we started this move! It has been a non stop week of working to get things to NC, out of storage and into the house. Whew! I couldn't have done this without the help of the family. The kids have been helping with Mike 24/7 and Mom and Roger have done all of the hard moving and hanging. They are leaving tomorrow and we are going to MISS them like crazy! Mike likes his new house. Whenever we drive up he claps his hands and says "house, house." He really likes the deck. We bought a pool just like Popo's, so he's having a blast with it. The neighbors just moved in yesterday. They are very nice. They have a 4yr old, a 2 yr old and the wife is pregnant with her third one right now! Everything is coming along nicely. Joe will have plenty to do when he gets home, so he didn't miss out on everything. We are so excited to see him and to have everyone come to visit. Since Joe has our computer and I have been using the family's, I will be without one until he comes home. They will be taking theirs back with them of course! So, if you email I won't get it for while. See you soon!

Happy Fourth!

We had a great weekend visiting with all of the cousins. Taryn and Gabe were able to come hang out at Popo's with all of us. Barclay was a great sport standing in as griller and kid wrangler. Mike liked him but was just intimidated enough to behave whenever Barclay was near. The actual fourth was cold and rainy. That didn't stop Mike from stripping down and getting into the pool. Chris put on a nice cookout for all of us. Roger and the kids put on a mini fireworks show for Mike. He thought it was very cool and clapped after each display. It was a great weekend. Now we are getting ready to pack up and head back to North Carolina. We will get there on Monday and I will be closing on the house that afternoon. Then we will move in before mom and the family has to go back to Indiana. When they do Mike and I will be waiting for Joe to come home and then the big reunion with the Haley's. Shortly after that the little one will be on his way. We're heading into a busy time!

Funny Faces

Growing too Fast

Mike is getting super big. He looks like a total kid now. Except for the diaper he's lost all babyness. The countdown is on now. There are only about 34 days left until Joe comes home. We are SUPER excited. So now we have about two weeks until we head back to NC. I am getting stuff ordered for the house, and starting to pack things. It's going to be busy, but we are so ready! Taryn and Gabe are coming over the 4th of July weekend. It will be fun to see them and have all the cousins hang out. We will miss Joe Sr., Joe and Matt. They are all out doing their crazy jobs. We will see them soon though. We are all meeting back in NC around the 2nd of August.

4 peas in a pod

The kids are all enjoying spending time together now that they are out of school! Mike is especially having fun! He's learning all kinds of new things. Including this new pose.

Happy.........

Happy Father's Day, Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary!!!!
Geez!! This is the busiest week and a half of the year for our family. For starters we had Allie, Spencer and Chris's birthdays. For anniversaries we had Mom and Roger, Joe and Barbara and Joe and me(coming on the 18th). Then we also celebrated Father's Day. Whew! What a week. It was fun! Here are a couple photos!

Tired Boy

Physical Therapy wears Mike out. Since he started sleeping through the night around 5 months, he has never fallen asleep anywhere but the car. Today I found him knocked out on the couch just before Abbie came over. The poor guys gets so worn out from wrestling with the therapist. He's wiped out by the time we get home.

Swimming!!!

Today Abbie and I drove Mike up to Carey's. We took all three kids to the neighborhood pool. It was a blast. The kiddie pool was closed, but they did fine in the big pool. Mike learned how to jump off the side from Lily. Addy opted to stay poolside and watch. We can't wait for them to come visit us in North Carolina!

Mike's Stretches

Mike started physical therapy last week. The torticollis has started causing problems in his spine and down through his hips and legs. We have to do stretches 2-3 times a day and each stretch is done 5 times. So needless to say, he is not having fun. He screamed through our entire last session with the therapist. So Joe suggested giving him rewards at the end of each time we stretch. Today he got a star sticker, which he thought was very cool. Each time there are less and less tears and now with the new stickers at the end, I think he'll be getting used to it all soon!

Pool Time

Mike has been having his fair share of fun in the sun this weekend. On Friday after his physical therapy we went over to Natalie's house. He played with her son Nate in the sprinkler all afternoon. The next day Lily and Addy came to play at Popo's house. The three of them played in the pool out on the deck. He had a blast! Today, Cole and I got out the pool here at home. It's tiny, but they had a good time anyway! I don't have any pictures of the first two outings, but these are still pretty funny

CONGRATULATIONS JOE!

Joe found out today that he will be promoted to Captain on July 1st. He's worked very hard and we are all proud of him!

Final House Pics!

We have been anxiously awaiting the final pictures of the house. Everything looks good. We can't wait to get down there and see it in person!

20 Weeks

Today was the 20 week appoinment. This could have been the big one if I had decided to find out what we are having. I didn't do it though. What I did find out is that the baby is getting big, fast. I am 20 weeks, and the baby is measuring 22 wks and 6 days. So, at this rate I should have a baby that looks as big as a 6 month old. Just kidding, but seriously, this could be a big one. If it is a boy, which I have a feeling that it is, I could very easily have a 10 lb baby on my hands. My brother was over 10 lbs, so it's possible. I started this wishing and wishing for a girl, now I have been wishing that I just have a baby that looks like a newborn and not a toddler! My friend Natalie had her appointment at the same time, so I got to see her ultrasound and she is having another boy. She had a boy last time and he is 4 months older than Mike. This time our babies could have the same birthday. We will see!

I'm a Big Kid Now

All of the kids are growing up super fast. Addy is walking, Lily is potty trained and Gabe is eating solid food. I saw Mike jump up in the recliner and then look at me as if to say "what are you looking at mom?", I realized there are no more babies. They've all grown up. These pictures cracked me up.

15 Month Well Baby

Ok so we're a little behind! He is turning 17 months today, but better late than never! The doctor said he was doing very well and he was way ahead of other toddlers his age. So that's good news! He was just at the doctor about 6 weeks ago for an ear infection. Since that appt, he has grown over an inch and gained 4 lbs. That was quite a growth spurt. You'll all be glad to know that while the rest of his body is growing, his head circumference has slowed. At the last appt, his head mesured off the charts, but this time it was back on the very last line in the curve. He is now 34.5 inches tall and 28.2 lbs. His height is also off the chart, but his weight remains just above the middle. Tall and skinny. The trend continues.

Summer Mania

Summer mania has begun here at home. All three of the kids are on ball teams. Allie is on 2 cheerleading squads and Maddie is showing a few animals in 4-H. Holy Cow! It's going to be a busy one. So, tonight was Mike's first night at the ball park! He loved it. He ran and ran. He met a friend as well. And for some reason, he also found that picking his nose was hilarious.

POTTY CHAIR!!!!

Today I FINALLY went and bought Mike a potty chair. I let him pick it out. He thinks it's the best thing ever. So today after his nap we got it out. He wanted to try it out right away, despite the fact it was in the living room. Well, nothing happened the first try. Round two produced much better results! After his bath he said potty and pointed to his chair. I put him on it and BAM!, we have potty! Yay! So hopefully we will continue on this track and get him to understand just how this whole situation is supposed to work! YAY MICHAEL!!!

Puppy!

This weekend, Spencer brought a very cute puppy to visit. Mike liked this dog. It was just his size, and calm. Joe tried to convince me that we should take her home with us, but I didn't think that would be such a great idea. We'll be bringing home a little one soon enough!

Finally!

Oh my! It's been so long since I have posted pictures of Mike. I finally got my camera loaded on the computer here, so I wanted to put some up. He is getting so big. He says all kinds of words. He has recently started telling me when he needs his diaper changed so I am going to go get him a potty chair today. He is totally afraid of the big potty, so we'll get a smaller version and hopefully he'll like it. Today he is going to my dad's and spending the night! This is his first real time away from home. Since Joe has been gone, Mike and I have been together every second and it is sad to have him gone. But, he's has a blast at my dad's house, so I know it will be great!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY

Happy First Birthday Addison!!!! We can't wait to come celebrate with you on Saturday! We love you!!!