Springtime

April came and went.....

Here are some of the things that happened in April and even the beginning of May

All Smiles!

Brayden began his smiling phase and Larkin continued hers!

Easter Time!

Larkin had a blast hunting for Easter eggs this year and Daddy had a blast hiding them.  The Easter Bunny also brought some playdough and a new pair of shoes for Larkin.  Brayden slept right through the Easter egg hunt!

The Car Show

One Sunday morning we ventured to Tempe to see some of the cars that the owners of ccrd were showing off.  It was quite the car show!  Of course Larkin was more interested in the motorcycles and was worn out by the end of the show.  Brayden again slept through everything.

A New Playmate 

Beginning in April Larkin got a new playmate.  I began watching Brody, who is almost the same age.  Brody hungout with us until his mom was done teaching at the end of May.  Next fall I will be watching both him and his baby brother.  Wish me luck!

 

Making one of many forts!

Baking cookies.  They are great helpers!

Chuck E. Cheese

Our first trip to Chuck E. Cheese for a school fundraiser made us adults realize that is was way cooler when we were kids.  Pretty much just a bunch of crazy screaming kids running around and a bunch of parents pretending they don't know them!  We will probably wait a few years to try that one again although Brayden did stay awake most of the time. 

Our Backyard 

Well no pool yet, but this year we (well Shaun) put rock down in the back and we decided to get a swingset for the kids.  This was Larkin's birthday present and she is loving every minute on it.  Kind of makes us wonder what we were thinking! 

Who knew it would come in so many pieces with no labels!  Here is just a little part of the setting up.

As you can see Shaun was definitely making progress.  He had it all put together and pea gravel put down within a week.  Just in time for Larkin's birthday party.  Those pictures are coming shortly!

Brayden

Our baby is getting so big.  He is actually awake much more these days and is working on that smile! 

Larkin

This little one is into everything these days and is talking up a storm.  We have begun potty training and Larkin finds it much more relaxing if she is reading a little something on the potty.  I think we have Daddy to thank for that one.  She also got rid of her beloved pacifier.  She still misses it from time to time, but she is sure growing up. 

The Nursery

Well Brayden's nursery was started before Thanksgiving and is FINALLY complete.  Of course that is not because of Shaun's handywork.  Shaun had the nursery complete just after New Year's, but our furniture, which was ordered back at the beginning of November, did not arrive until the end of March.  Yep, that is right, more than five weeks AFTER Brayden was born.  We were lucky enough to have the furniture store loan us some furniture until ours arrived.  Here is a look at all the work Shaun (with a little help from Larkin) put into Brayden's room.  It turned out great!

Just getting started

 Blue painting is done and crown molding put up

All the boards for the wainscoating primed, painted, and repainted.  And the wainscoating begins to go up 

Finishing the wainscoating, getting ready to paint the chair rail, and filling the holes

Painting the animals for the wall and doing the finishing touches 

 

The nursery is complete.... well with a borrowed crib and dresser 

 Finally the REAL furniture arrives and Brayden's name is put over his crib!

I have to say it was a lot of hard work, but Shaun did a fantastic job and the room couldn't be more perfect.

Uncle Mark the Great and Aunt Mary

A Family Visit!
At first things were a bit hectic getting used to having a new baby around the house, but we were lucky enough to have our wonderful Aunt Mary and Uncle Mark come and spend a week with us.  They cooked, cleaned, played, but even better they gave Larkin TONS of attention.  Really they gave all of us tons of attention!  We sure miss them.

Naptime for everyone

Check out my new shades!

All Work and Well a Little Play

Not only did Mark and Mary come out to help with the kiddos, somehow Mark also got suckered into moving 30 tons of rock into our backyard.  Shaun and Uncle Mark the Great (truly) spent most of the weekend moving wheelbarrows of rock into our backyard.  They did a great job and even left a space for the new swingset we are getting.  Pretty sure Uncle Mark is happy he didn't have to put that together as well!

Our new and mostly dust-free backyard

Don't worry they found plenty of time to play as well!

Toasting their green beers for St. Patty's Day

Playing some darts while watching the NCAA tournament

Making a tasty breakfast

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Mark and Mary also gave Larkin all that love and attention you would think she was missing.  She absolutely LOVES them.  She still walks around the house saying "Uncle Mark shower????", "Uncle Mark singing", and "Where's Mary????"  She picks up her phone and pretends to call them all the time.  Mark and Mary took Larkin around town and saw the sights.  One of the highlights was a pre-season baseball game.

What a perfect day at the ballpark!

Being Silly

Playing a little game of hide-n-seek! That Aunt Mary sure loved to play games with Larkin.

No visit from Mark and Mary would be complete if we didn't stop by Krispy Kreme at least once!

One more family pic before they headed back to Vermont.

Beginning of March

Our March
March went by way too fast.  We spent most of the month adjusting to having a baby at home and Larkin getting used to being a big sister.  She does a great job.  She likes to bring diapers for the baby, give him kisses, and find his passy.  She has become quite the little mother and practices on her baby dolls and stuffed animals.  Her dolls are all diapered and wiped, dressed, covered up with a blanket and patted on the back for their naps, and even fed. 

Brayden found that he can pretty much sleep anywhere

Larkin got to know her little brother.  She loves to try and hold him.

Larkin trying out Brayden's hat!

Pajama Sunday!