Our Summer...

We have had a very fun summer, without many pictures to show for it! I am so thankful for the summer break with the kids, they can be so silly.

The kids got a set of legos this summer. Emory was a pro and knew just what to do and Gabe is learning but LOVING them.

 We had Gabe's 18 month check up this week and he is just trucking along. He is 26 lbs (50%) and 32 3/4 inches (50%). Perfect!! He sat still for his vision and hearing tests and passed both.

 Here is a picture of our normal lunch at home. Gabe dumped everything off his plate, Emory in ballet attire. They keep me on my toes.

Sweet Ella Grace, these cousins love jumping in the crib. Lately they have gotten into chasing each other, which is cute to watch.

We were fortunate enough to get a pool membership this summer and our little timid girl has blossomed into a swimmer! She now goes down the slide by herself and swims to us. We are so proud of her.

Happy 18 Months!!!

My baby boy is a year and a half. He is just a joy! Gabe is all boy and is so much busier than I remember Emory being at this age. He climbs, he jumps, he hits balls with bats. All boy! Take a look at Emory at 18 months, such different kiddos!

Gabe says da da, ma ma (finally), Eddy (Emmy), tiger, juice, pizza and milk. He recently started nodding yes, which makes our lives so much easier. He had been able to tell us no for quite awhile now.  ;) Gabe runs everwhere and will copy everything Emory does, even the bad behavior. He is still a HUGE mama's boy, which I love (most of the time).

Here are Gabe's stats from his 15 months check up. Weight 25 lbs (50%) and height 31 1/4 in (45%). Such a healthy little guy. When people pick him up they always seem to say how "sturdy" he is. We always joke that his little hands are like mitts.
I guess 18 month old little boys are too busy for taking pictures!

 Elmo will bring on the smiles!

 I'm outta here.

 Got one!!!

Sister was there, supervising. Such a pretty girl.

 Twirling her hair, getting too big.

Happy 4th of July...

Just a little late! We took our first road trip for the holiday weekend to Abilene Texas. The last time that Grant and I went to Abilene was for our friend Matt and Kristi's wedding, and this time we were going to Kristi's parents house. Her parents were too kind to us. We swam in the pool, ate delicious food, and saw the sights ;).

On Sunday, we decided to take the kids to see Cars 2. Gabe was taking a nap and we thought Emory would be ok skipping a nap to see her first movie in the theater..... we were wrong. The first picture is her sleeping on me during the movie, maybe half way through.

Sweet girl kept sleeping in the lobby. Afterwards, she did tell me that she liked the movie.

 On the 4th, we started our day with yummy red and blue donuts (thank you pops and kiki) and then went to a neighborhood parade. Such a perfect thing to do. Kiki found some flags for the kids to wave.

 All four of the kids. They kept us SO busy that weekend.

 I picture Emory singing some patriotic song in this picture....

 Sweet friends. They like each other so much. But after this weekend it is apparent who has Emory's heart, little Caden. She has told me before she was going to marry Caden. Best friends with the older brother and crush on the younger brother, why not?

 Sibling love. Gabe has no choice.

Normal Night With the Dess Family...

Our evenings are a marathon of entertainment. The kids are so happy to see Grant, and whether he is ready or not, they want to play. Tonight's game of choice, police helmet basketball.

Is that Micheal Jordan??? Nope, just our little tongue out dunking Emory.

 Daddy's turn!

As much as Gabe loves having Grant at home, he had to make sure I am not too far away. This is his normal place, at my feet, hanging onto my legs. Let's just say he REALLY loves his mommy.

New Family Pictures!!!

Sweet family pictures. We are so thankful to have wonderful pictures of our kids. Note to self, June is too hot to take outdoor pictures in Dallas. We scheduled pictures for two hours and made it just under one. Gabe was not interested in getting his pictures taken AT ALL. So we focused on the family pictures and Emory.

 This was the end of the line for Gabe. We tried really hard, but he was over the whole thing.

 Outift change! Emory looked adorable in her pink tutu.

 Even Emory tried to get Gabe to participate. Still no luck, but what cute siblings.

Keeping Cool...

Well, the Texas summer is upon us. We have already had numerous days of 100. Boo. But, with busy kids, you have to find things to do..... inside. We met our friends Kate, Lucy and Will at the aquarium at Fair Park last week. We had never been there and it was great.

The girls did not want to touch any of these....

 Sweet Gabe exploring.

 I think he noticed the fish.

 "Shhh, the alligator is sleeping."

 The aquarium has a sting ray petting tank!! But, none of the kids wanted to touch these either.

 Boys on the loose!

 Snack time.

 Another snack time, notice the dirty knees. That's a sign of fun.

 Time for some hugs.

 Then the girls decided this was the perfect place for ring around the rosey.

 And we leave holding hands.