Babyland General Hospital

We went to visit my family for a few days in June. Our big trip was to the Babyland General Hospital. The girls and their cousin Trinity went along with me and my mom. You would have thought the girls were in heaven with all the Cabbage Patch babies and accessories. We visited all the rooms they had including nurseries, a treehouse, schoolhouse, and a few more. The girls had a blast picking the right baby for them. They also got to watch the birth of a baby from the Tree of Life and held the newborn as well. Ella adopted a little girl who she named Katy Ella McEachern with light brown hair and blue eyes. Ava adopted a little boy named Maddox Brian McEachern with blonde hair and blue eyes. It was a fun day at Babyland!

Memorial Day Celebration

Many of Brian's family members came to Teri and Sids to celebrate Memorial Day together. We had lots of fun with everyone. Although it rained off and on, we were able to enjoy the pool for a little while. It is always so great to see everyone together. The girls had fun playing with their "cousins". Afterwards, Brian and I went shopping and to a movie for my birthday which was a lot of fun. Brian's parents watched the girls overnight and the girls had a blast with them!

Kate comes to visit in May

Kate is Ella's "best friend" and cousin. She came to our house for a little while to play with the girls. This was at the end of May.

Spring and Summer Time 2010

I have been out of comission. First it started with the end of school and then I was sick because as some of you know, I am pregnant! The last thing I have wanted to do is walk downstairs and update everything on the computer. I have hardly picked up my camera since May. Anyway, over the next week or so, I will try to update everyone on what we have been up to. To start off with, here are a couple pictures that we used to let our families know that we were expecting baby #3.

It is hard to see the shirts but Ella's says," I'm the big sister" and Ava's says,"I'm in the middle."

Easter Celebration

Easter time comes around and I always think about rebirth and renew. Christ gave us that opportunity to see past our mistakes and ignorance and continue down the path He has prepared for us. God's love for us is so graciously huge and He never ceases to amaze me.

As we celebrate Easter with our family, we try to teach the girls about what Jesus did on the cross and why we give to them on this special day. Here are some pictures of how we celebrated.

Spring Break Begins

Monday was the beginning of Spring Break, however we started ours today. The girls were sick so we were stuck in the house until today. My friend, Sarah and I took our four kids to the Tennessee Aquarium. The day started off late but the kids were still in a good mood which means we were still in good moods! We started off in the sea of sting rays. Ella and Ava enjoyed it so much because they got to stick their little hands in the water. Unfortunately none of the sting rays came close enough for the girls to touch but they were happy just to play in the water. Then we were off to the Butterfly Garden. This was Ella favorite part of the day.She kept her finger out for the butterflies to land on it. I am not quite sure where she learned that from. Anyway, we just got to watch the butterflies as they flew around. The penguins were next (my favorite). By this time, hunger and sleepiness was inching it way closer and the challenge of keeping the kids together was quite dificult. But we made it out with all 4 kids. Then it was time to see the big ocean of fish and sharks. Ella became a little fearful of the shark but when she understood that the shark could not reach her for the fact that there was a big glass window to keep them apart, she was actually intrigued by the sharks. We took a little snack break and sat to watch all the different kinds of fish. Then onward to the cave where we were surrounded by sea creatures on three sides. The kids liked going through the cave and by this time they were past ready to eat and sleep! I think Sarah and I were too!

After a few temper tantrums (due to lack of food and sleep) we made it to Mellow Mushroom where I will say we were Super Women getting them situated after a very busy day. They ate well and afterwards 2 out of the 4 fell right to sleep on the way back to Sarahs. It was a crazy yet wonderful day and now it is time for some very much needed relaxation(Turbo Kick class)!

Ella was telling Brian all about the trip and she said, " Mommy tried to make me touch a Sting Monster." (meaning Sting Ray...thought that was cute:o))





Liam (Ella and Ava's friend) watching the "Sting Monster"

Swimming Lessons

I have been meaning to write this blog upadate for two weeks now but don't have a moment to spare throughout the day. If there is a moment, I am too exhausted to get on the computer:o)

So Ella and Ava have started swim classes at the YMCA. Brian get's in with Ava and sings little nursery rhyme songs while getting her acclimated to the water. She was quite unsure about the whole experience, yelling for me when she caught a glance in between songs. She seemed to enjoy it though. Her favorite part was singing Wheels on the Bus. The second week, she got to slide down a small slide and she loved that as well.

Ella is in a class where she goes all by herself. She was full of excitement and loved the fact that she was big enough to go all on her own. She had so much fun doing all the activities from the side of the pool. When the instructor brought her into the pool, she held on for dear life! She got a little more comfortable as the class progressed. Her favorite part was playing Red Light, Green Light where she kicked her feet from the side of the pool. She did really good! The second class, they added some things and it made Ella very unsure and we thought we might want to put her in Ava's class. After talking to the instructor, she suggested we work with her a little bit before each class. We will try that this Saturday and maybe that will calm her fears. I think the biggest thing for her is she hates to go under the water or choking from the water. If she overcame that, then she would be a little fish in her class.

Here are some pictures of swim class:o)