weekend fun

We've been following a rainy week/sunny weekend trend for a few weeks now. Not so fun during the week but we are loving the gorgeous weather on the weekends. We've been so so busy. I don't think I'll ever get caught up on the blog or anything else on my to-do list---maybe someday! Here's a quick peek at our weekend. 

We set up the water play and the kids had a blast!

Cole helped "clean" everything

I set up our drink dispenser with some nice ice water. The kids thought this was the greatest. thing. ever. They couldn't get enough water and loved getting it themselves.

we had some swing time

Cole attempting to do the monkey bars {with a little help}

Ava & daddy planted flowers around the yard. They look great!

our new worm friend

Cole learned how to pull the hose and big sis learned how to turn it on. We had some overflowing water time :)

little miss Ava Lou grilling outside

Ava had her eye exam and her left eye is now at a 20/40! She went from a 20/200 to a 20/40---yay Aves!

Mother's Day

I'm so very lucky to be the mom to these cuties. They fill my day with so much love & laughter---even during those frustrating times :) They are definitely my greatest joy & I couldn't imagine loving them more.

 I had a wonderful mother's day. Hubby & I went on a date Saturday night and did some shopping. We never go to the mall but it was nice walking around going in stores I wanted to without worrying about little hands breaking something in Anthropologie :) We mainly went to get my new baby present---a 4G ipad! I'm in love. I use them all the time at work but it's nice to finally own one. Although the kids try to take it over :) I also got some new make up and a new coat. We had a great time at dinner and just having some grown up time.

The next day everyone slept in. Hubby got up early and made me a yummy breakfast in bed. Ava came flying in my room to wish me a happy mother's day and give hugs & kisses. I got to snuggle in bed with the kiddies and just soak up some quiet time with them. We all played with the ipad a bit and then Cole got kicked out because he smeared whipped cream on my pillow during breakfast :)

the little who made me a mommy

We were going to head into Boston for the day but decided we needed some beach time & headed to Newport. The beach was overcast and a little chilly but the kids loved running around on the beach. Ava even dipped her feet it---she's crazy!

these two ran all over the beach & had the best time---they were exhausted after!

Cole loved finding his shells

running in the waves

We walked around downtown for a bit and the sun finally came out. The kids got to watch the boats and then we headed home for a cookout. We had our moms over to celebrate with some yummy food. Hubs did a great job cooking everything.

cookies the kiddies made

showing bammy how to use the ipad

daddy grilling

quick bike ride

all the moms!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mom---especially our very own nana & bammy. We love you!

EI update

Cole started his EI services and we've been really happy so far. We met a few weeks ago to go over his IFSP and set goals and then get started with visits. Sweet little Cole cries when his SLP comes. We just ignore it and pretty soon he gets sucked in to her toys and has a great time. He has a lot of fun and I love hearing him trying new words and sounds.

The thing I love most about this program is Cole can go to "school" with other kids his age & work on his speech skills there. So last Friday we packed Cole his backpack and Bammy & Ava dropped him off. This was the first time he's ever been away from anyone in our family. He cried for about 15 minutes and slowly took in the surroundings. Once they went outside he was a happy little guy. He played, gobbled up snack {they say the "criers" never eat on the first day}, picked "Wheels on the Bus" to sing, sat at circle and followed instructions. Everyone was so thrilled at how well he did. I had an event at school and wasn't in my room that day. I had this fear that he would have a horrible time and no one would be able to reach me. Thankfully he was fine & we're so so proud of how well he did.

This week he did even better! He only cried for a few minutes before getting to play. His poor allergies have been acting up so he was done at the end but seemed to have a good time. We've definitely seen an increase in his language and his confidence in speaking. We love hearing his sweet little voice.

a whole bunch of random

I have a bunch of posts to write {5 posted so far} & just uploaded 300 photos that I'll get to eventually but here are a bunch of randomness from the past few weeks.

Ava went to a bowling party for one of her good friends. This was her first time bowling and she loved it---she actually knocked down all the pins at one point!

showing the picture she made :)

We celebrated hubby's birthday with yummy food and ice cream cake---yumm.

Ava started a chore/happy heart chart. She loves making the checks so we're all about making the bed/putting dishes/clothes away etc. We added the happy heart part for some extra positive reinforcement. Usually she's good about sharing but there is definitely some more reminding going on than there should be. I'm a big fan of really making a big deal about the good the kids do instead of focusing on the bad. Every time I catch her doing something good she gets a check. The best part is she'll give me a big smile and say "my heart feels happy when I share". Love.

 love these two in their sox hats