Merry Christmas

I hope everyone is enjoying this joyous season and has a very

Merry Christmas!

A Whole Lot of Updates

It's been ages. I don't have an excuse, I just didn't want to blog. So I apologize. I'm sure I missed many amazing moments in everyone's lives and I will try my hardest to catch up. Here's a little of what's been going on over at the Austin's.

We love our house and especially love the neighborhood. Halloween was a blast...so many kids walking the streets and neighbors sitting on their porches...did I mention that I LOVE our neighborhood?

Devin was an army man and got to trick or treat with his friend Cole.

Jaycie was an angel...so beautiful.

November brought several exiting events. First, Devin turned three!

I can't believe I have a three year old. So far I'm liking the threes much more than the twos.

A few weeks later, Devin broke his arm. He was wrestling with his friend Cole, they fell softly to the ground, and Devin somehow fractured his arm on Cole's face. It's amazing...not only are his muscles "soft" but apparently he has brittle bones as well. He's done really well. He doesn't notice the cast at all and he gets to take it off next wednesday.

Thanksgiving was fantastic. Definitely one of my favorite holidays. The whole family was together at my mom's house and Jaycie decided that was a good time to start walking! Now she is all over the place just relishing in her new freedom.

And lastly, Jaycie turned one yesterday. We had a last minute family party (I actually didn't even know about it) so I have no pictures. I can just assure you that she is beautiful and thriving!

My baby is no longer a baby and I was surprised at how sad that made me. She climbs stairs, walks around like she owns the place, loves to carry around my cell phone against her ear and jabber, loves a good book just like her mom, talks a ton but doesn't say much yet, eats anything she can get her hands on...her eight teeth help, plays with her big brother whenever he allows it, and absolutely loves the doll and blanket her great grandmother made her. She has been the perfect addition to our little family.

Busy Little Beavers

It's been a hectic, stressful, and exciting few months. But it is finally over and we are happy to announce we have a new house! WOOHOO!

Our New Address:
1505 Oakcrest Dr.
Providence Village, TX 76227

What Have I Done?

It started with an off-hand comment. Then it became a discussion. Lots of opinions were given. A decision was made. And now I can't take it back...

...well, I could, but I don't want to.

The decision landed us at Claires. By us, I mean me and Jaycie. I'm sure you have all figured out what went down. Here is the happy unsuspecting old Jaycie.

This was taken as they were shoving the metal post through her ear. It took her about 10 seconds to figure out what happened and then the tears came. It was incredibly hard to sit through but shortly after the second ear was done, she was over it. And now she has adorable pink sparkly flowers in her ears!

I LOVE IT!

And She's Off

Jaycie has been pretty busy lately. This last week has been eventful for her as she has started feeding herself and moving around more. It's been a pretty big change. She can drink her bottle all by herself and she feeds herself crackers and other cut up food. It frees up a lot of my time. I LOVE this stage!

She is also army crawling everywhere. This is so exciting for me because Devin never did any of this. Devin did this weird creepy crawly thing that was rare and had to be bribed out of him with food. She just takes off every chance she gets in search of something to put in her mouth. I guess that's the downside though. I'm going to have to actually baby proof this time around.

Arizona Sunsets

This is one thing I love about Arizona...they have the most amazing sunsets every single night. Texas doesn't even come close.

Independence Day

The weekend came really fast and we were joined in Arizona by Jamin's other siblings Jessica, Janae, and Jenna. Jessica brought her daughter Austyn with her and Devin FELL IN LOVE. That may be kind of gross because they are first cousins, but you can't help feelings so powerful! :)

The night after they got here Devin was saying his prayers and this is how it went, "Thank you for Austyn, thank you for playing with Austyn, thank you for Austyn, thank you for Jesus, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." It was so adorable.

The fourth was filled with swimming, kites, cards, lots of sweat, and an incredible firework show. It was the perfect holiday.

We Arrived

After 18 hours in the car we finally made it to Arizona at midnight. Jamin's brother Jared lives in Queen Creek with his amazing wife (and a new favorite person of mine) Marcie and baby boy Ethan. It was so good to see them and see their brand new house that they had just moved into though it looked like they've been there for years. So cute! Here are a few pics of their family and fun stuff we did with them:

Jared & Ethan at a cool outdoor mall that had a kid section with a splash park and a couple fun playgrounds.


It was a blast to watch Ethan and Jaycie interact. They were so interested in eachother...or at least the toys the other one had.

And then... THE GRAND CANYON! I finally got to see it and it was AMAAAAAAAAZING!

Summer Vacations

I have decided I officially LOVE Jamin's job. Having him home this summer has been WONDERFUL. We were able to jump in the car and drive to Arizona a few weeks ago and stay as long as we wanted. No job to rush home to...nothing but time. I love a stress-free vacation.

We decided to take the car instead of fly. I must admit...I was terrified. 18 hours in a car with a 2 year old and a 6 month old baby. That did not sound like fun. But I put on my brave face and packed lots of toys and candy. To my shock and complete surprise, I didn't need to pack anything.


Devin was a near-perfect angel. He was content just looking out the window. If it wasn't for the million and one potty breaks at the side of the road he would have received perfect marks.

Jaycie was incredible. She whined a bit when she got hungry, but piped down as soon as I shoved the bottle in her mouth. I could not have asked for a better experience.

 

Arizona updates coming up next.

The Face

Devin has this face. It's the "pretty pretty please with a cherry on top can I do this thing that I'm really excited about" face. It kills me. Could you say no to this?

Six Whole Months

I can't believe it...Six Months! My baby is growing up so fast. I have enjoyed Jaycie like I never allowed myself to enjoy Devin. Of course I love them the same, but it's different with your first. You worry, you stress, and above all, you follow the rules. You do everything the books and baby wise, and baby center tell you to do. But with Jaycie, I hold her, and love on her, and don't stress when circumstances are less than perfect. It has been so much fun.

Here's what Jaycie's up to at 6 months:

• She weighed in at 17 pounds 1 ounce. That's the 71st percentile.
• She measured 26.5 inches long which put her in the 77th percentile for height.
• She can sit unsupported now and is already trying to rock forward on her knees.
• She's got her two bottom teeth in and LOVES to chew on my fingers.
• Still sleeping about 12 hours at night and taking two long naps.
• She loves to laugh and will smile at anyone who looks at her.
• She hates green vegetables but I make her eat them anyway.
• She has started to shriek when it's time to eat and I'm just not fast enough. (Devin did that from the day he was born.)
• She loves to touch faces and hold her feet (which is the cutest thing on the planet).
• And best of all, she never cries. She is perpetually happy.

Man I love this girl.

Zoo Day

Today we got to go to the zoo. By we I mean me, Devin, and Jaycie...no Jamin. Me and two kids, one heavy stroller, 45 minutes from home, during nap time! However, bravery paid off, it was great! We met Amanda and her kids, Amanda's sister and brother-in-law and their two kids, and their parents. That made for three double strollers at the zoo, during summer break, and on half price Wednesday. We made it through without any major traffic jams...though I did manage to run over a few toes and heels. It was a lot of fun even though the humidity made it feel like we were walking through water and I was constantly wiping the sweat drops off my chin. Really, I had fun. :) Here's some cute photos of the outing:

Mad Marie Photography

This morning I went over to a friend's house to have some photos taken of my kiddos. Most of you know her...the fabulous Madison Eppley. She did such a great job and has already put a few out on her facebook for me to see. But I stole them so I could put them on my blog!

(love the boobs in this picture)

The Decline of Blogging

It seems like the blogging world has been a bit slow lately. At least for my part it has. I have nothing to say. I've taken no new pictures, my kids are (for the most part) the same, and I am simply not creative enough to post about anything else. Or maybe I've just been too lazy to turn the computer on. But it's on now, and I'll do my best to give you an update that won't bore you to tears.

School is almost out! One more week and I will have my husband all to myself. The perks of being a coach are just wonderful. He's got a few basketball camps over the summer, but other than that, we'll get to hang out, go on vacation (Arizona here we come), and most importantly, Jamin can help with the kids! Yay for Jamin!

Summer has officially arrived and I'm loving the weather. We went swimming for the first time at my sister's neighborhood pool and it went pretty well. Jaycie screamed then passed out and Devin's lips turned blue. But he didn't care. I did manage to get a picture of Jaycie on my phone all decked out in her swim gear. If this isn't high fashion, I don't know what is.

Jaycie is almost 6 months old! She's rolling around the floor and sitting pretty well. She still falls over often but she's almost there! She's getting huge. I can't wait to see how much she weighs.

Devin is potty trained! I guess that's pretty big news, but again, no pictures. It's been two weeks now and he's doing great. He only had 3 accidents before he got it. It took twenty four hours and he was good. He's had 2 accidents since then when he was so busy playing he didn't want to stop to go potty. He also still struggles with going #2 on the potty. He hasn't quite figured out how to sit down and push it out. He waits until it's coming out before he screams for me to help him. But...we're working on it. I'm so proud of him though. He's smarter than I thought he was! :) And there is nothing cuter than a little boy in big boy underwear.

As for me, I'm still just taking care of my two beautiful babies. I'm on week 6 of P90X and it's kicking my butt still. But if it's going to get rid of that baby weight, I'll take the beating. Only 6 more weeks to go! If anyone knows of a faster way to lose weight, let me know!

We're Rollin'!

Absolutely nothing has been going on lately...thus the lack of posts. Besides the Swine Flu OVERREACTION (my husbands school district was the ONLY one not closed) the excitement level has been pretty low. Until yesterday! Jaycie decided to roll over, almost out of nowhere. She has already perfected it today and is working on rolling onto her back. Here she is in action:

Happy {Belated} Easter!

It seems like everyone else beat me to the punch...but Happy Easter! It was a very calm, relaxing, and peaceful day!

(This is always what happens when I try to get a picture of both of them)