Baby Sloan Morton

I just had the privilege of traveling to St. Louis to meet the newest baby Morton in September. Sloan Elizabeth was born to our dearest friends Ashley and Jonathon. I was able to spend 4 days of baby holding and cuddling,  and it was fantastic. Sloan is the sweetest, best smelling and blondest baby ever! While in St. Louis I was able to enjoy some relaxing time and just enjoy Ashley and Jonathon's company, and cooking at my leisure and not under a time clock of 2 circling hungery little kiddos as well as sleeping in 4 days in a row, amazing! It was a win for all of us. Ashley and J are the most amazing and loving parents ever and Sloan is the luckiest baby to have them! We can't wait to see them again soon.

I'm afraid I have only these few pictures as I was holding her so much that I really didn't take any pictures. The next time we see each other, I will make sure not to make the same mistake.

The entire family came to pick me up at the airport. Sloan and I got cozy in the back seat and got to know each other.

Sleepy girl while Aunt Kate was on duty. This girl and I watched a movie together every afternoon while Mama got some much deserved rest. It's the best feeling not to have anything more important to do other than just sit on the couch, holding this bitty babe and watching a movie, soaking each other up. Oh my gosh, she was delicious, look at those cheeks!

Girl friend was ready for a morning nap. She fell asleep watching me put away laundry.

She was very good for moral support and great eye candy though!

Isla's 3rd Birthday!!

Our girl is 3 years old! Oh,  how the time is passing so quickly. It seems like she shouldn't be more than an infant, but here she is dancing, singing ABC's, and developing her own special personality. I was just watching her today and was thinking to myself that she is so full of life and happiness,  as she is singing to Rapunzel music at 7:30 AM in the car. She brings light to everyone around here and we are so glad to have and love her. For her birthday, she wanted rainbows and a funfetti cake, so we had to deliver. Her actual birthday was on Monday, so we had a special Isla day,  with all of her favorites. However, we did have to start the morning out at the Pediatritions office as she developed an ear infection over the weekend. But after the insult of going to the doctors on your birthday and having to get an unexpected flu shot, the day started to look up. We spent the morning at the park enjoying the slightly cooler weather and then ended up at Central Market for lunch and to pick out sprinkled cupcakes to share with daycare the next day. Isla LOVES tacos, so that was her supper request along with Pineapple Upside down cake, which was of course Grandma's recipe.

We planned to birthday party at Zilker park and to ride the Zilker Zepher train, for the following Sunday, however due to rain, we had to relocate to the house. Which turned out great, because what little kid cares where they are as long as they have all their closest friends there to play and celebrate with them by having donut eating competitions, makeing birthday crowns and play musical chairs with. The party was a hit and we are so glad some many of our dear friends could be here.

Sam was giving extra help with present opening

We all made birthday crowns, super fun!

Birthday girl!!

Posing under the rainbow birthday arch made by Aunt Verna

The kids love waking up to a wall of pictures that are all about them. It usually ends up staying on the wall for the next 2 weeks. It's always sweet to watch Sam and Isla looking and laughing over the pictures with each other

She got a new kids camera from Aunt Verna. She is taking your picture as we are taking her picture.

Yay!! Pineapple cake and ice cream, that is an excited girl!

Happy girl :)

Silly Sam under the rainbow

All ready for the birthday party and the pretty sunflowers from Daddy for the birthday girl.

Aunt Verna in action the night before assembling the balloon rainbow, she's the best!!

Actual birthday morning at the park with just Isla and Mama.

Lunch at Central Market with her birthday crown.

Thank you Grandma for the birthday card and $3!!! She was super excited to put it in her piggy bank!

Mama's creation, or at least inspiration from Pintrest. I loved how it turned out, so fun!

Party time with the little kids!

Older kids table

Pretty Sherry, so glad she came to see us.

Awesome rainbow funfetti cake!

Summer time fun 2016

We've had a fun and busy summer with something happening pretty much every month. But it wasn't

to crazy that we didn't get time to relax and enjoy. We made time for lots of swimming, library visits, park time, snow cones, symphony in the park,  playing with friends, traveling to Kansas and birthdays for Quinn, Sam and Verna. It has been with mixed emotions that I've made it through this Summer, knowing on the other end would be Sam going to kindergarten. As we are soexcited for him, and a proud Mama and Daddy, I am also a bit sad as it is the next chapter and further evidence that he and Isla are growing so quickly.  But his little brain is clicking and this is the next step for him, but I know I will have a few tears come the first day. In the meanwhile, here are some pictures from our Summer!

Pre-K Graduation day June 20th! It was the cutest little graduation ceremony possible. All the kids were so proud. They had worked for weeks on their songs, little dance and introducing themselves with first, middle and last names. And the thing they all were most excited about were the cookies and fruit punch that was promised at the end.

There was a lot of work and organization that went into this. They kids came in with music and so orderly, as orderly as a bunch of 5 year olds can.

My heart melts....our two best babes

Post graduation celebration with skillet chocolate chip cookie and ice cream!

Hanging at the YMCA pool with Aunt Verna. Sam has taken swimming lessons all Summer and has turned into a little fish. Isla will start in a few months, but she was always excited to go and cheer on big brother.

Symphony in the park on Sunday evenings. Always so fun to enjoy some music, a little wine and watching the kids run around nuts, tiring themselves out for bedtime to follow.

Goof-troops!

Daddy and his boy and the Austin skyline.

Feeling happy

We all love dessert, but Quinn and the kids LOVE dessert. I love how giddy Isla is, just waiting to dig into some brownie and ice cream at Magnolia café.

Family hike at Bull Creek, before it got to 100 degrees for weeks on end.

Isla is a funny combination of girly-girl and tom-boy. Here she is with her Princess heels,

but following around Sam's remote control car.

4th of July. Sam was nuts for the fireworks, popper and snakes. Isla was not excited about any of it.

She went to find her ear phones to help dull the noise. But she was ok to watch from the inside of the house out the window.

In July, while Quinn was in Germany visiting Chip and Sara for his birthday, we headed to Kansas. We were able to see all the Grandma's, Grandpa, several Aunts and some cousins. It is always a fun time heading home. It was almost corn harvest and seeing the fields upon fields of corn was lovely. We spent a good amount of time at the farm with Papa and made it into Wichita at the Farmer's market, where Mom sells her yummy baked goods. We also were able to have lunch with Great Grandma on the Farm at the Assisted living and then scheduled Taco Tuesday to celebrate all the Summer birthday's, particularly Tanner and Tyler.

Miss girl on the farm with her cool shades. Walking between 4 wheeler riding to the tractor to

find Grandpa and probably and ice cream bar in the scale house.

This is one of Papa's newest machines. He thought Sam was more than ready to start driving,

so here they are, learning how to drive.

Bedtime stories with Grandma!

Eating Sour Patch candy at the Halstead pool. It came full circle when I took the kids to the pool I learned to swim in and spent so many summers playing and swimming all day. They loved it.

Loving some Sour Patch kid candy. What would an afternoon at the pool be with out a little candy!.

The best last day of Summer! We were invited out to a friends lake house at Lago Vista. They had a great boat dock that we hung out on most of the day. Sam is swimming really well now and was all over this lake cove like a fish. Isla enjoyed the giant floaty and paddle boat rides more. It was swimming, eating, laying on the dock from morning until dinner time.

Auntie Debbie and Isla having a great time hanging in the giant lake floaty. This was Isla's ideal way of being in the lake. I think it was large and overwhelming for her, so a little mini pool made her happy.

Isla was brave enough to venture out with me on the stand up paddle

Sam has been taking swim lessons at the YMCA most of the summer and it has paid off! With the use of his life jacket, he was like a little fish all over this lake cove. He rode out on the stand up paddle board with Auntie Debbie and was determined to swim all the way back in. By the time he made it to the dock he was one tired little pup, but so proud at how far he swam!. Here's Debbie helping to guide him all the way.

Coming to the end of the day and trying to get that last paddle in.

Here's Auntie Debbie, Aunt Verna and Sam all just tooling around.

Isla much preferred to watch from the dock, and as usual eat her, "nacks."

And now the day is over and Isla is done. Tired and sweet girl.