John helped Maura with most of her little kid fireworks.

And Maura helped her dad get in and out of the door on occasion.
Here we are enjoying the splendid show. Pa Pa is clapping is hands in enjoyment. This holiday is so FUN with kids!

This picture doesn't do it justice, but I'll try to explain. John was shooting off artillery shells that shot way up in the sky. Every time one catapulted up above, Sophia's little head cocked back to enjoy the view. It was SO cute and super FUNNY! Here's a shot of what she looked like.

Love you all and enjoy your weekend!

Truck Drivers

Sometimes I wonder why we don't live in Springfield. We've been there 4 times in the last 10 days and I'm beginning to feel like a truck driver. With Gary's surgery and follow up appointments, we've been busy! Here's a shot on the drive down yesterday. Check out Gary crutches and manual scooter in the picture. Foot is also elevated--his doctor would be so proud.
Major happening of this appointment: staples removed (all 17) and a fancy new ski boot was fitted. It's suppose to aid in stabilization and reduce swelling. He still has to stay completely off it, but were told this is progress. The pain is lessening and he's beginning to decrease the meds. Still not sleeping that great, but at least he doesn't feel tired during the day.

In the van waiting for prescription at Walgreen's.

Totally changing gears........

Guess what? Sophia Grace finally has a tooth! Whew Hoo! I was beginning to wonder if she would need a set of dentures. :)

Also wanted to share that last weekend we kicked off the 4th of July with some festivities in our hometown. There was music on the square, a small carnival, and fireworks at nightfall. We debated on whether to go, but we were bound and determined to get the kids out of the house. (Gary and I were needing some fresh air too). First of all, it's a major accomplishment to get the car loaded these days. I'm the only pack mule in the house and it takes me awhile. Once we arrived we then had to figure out how to get everything unloaded (lawn chairs, blankets, stroller, daddy's scooter, etc). Unbelievable, but we made it in one trip! We headed to a shaded spot on the courthouse lawn. Gary sat with his foot up the entire night while I took the girls back to the carnival midway where they behaved beautifully. We checked out all of the rides, but Maura was insistent that she was only going to ride the carousel. She thought the alligators were too fast and the alpine slide was too high. I didn't mind that she was playing things safe considering I also had Sophia Grace in either the stroller or my arms for the evening. After four or five motorized pony rides, she then spotted the bouncy house. It was kind of hard for the kids to miss with that large plastic giraffe on the top. Maura loves to jump and she would have stayed there all night if I would have let her. Sophia and I waited patiently while she smiled from ear to ear and bounced to her hearts content. We then enjoyed an orange push-up for a treat (hadn't had one of those since I was a kid) And of course we periodically checked in with daddy who reported that he'd been busy answering this question "Geez.....What happened to you?" At the end of an enjoyable evening of music and some Indian dances, we watched a fantastic display of fireworks. Neither one of the girls were scared.. Sophia was so tired by this point that she was just mesmerized and Maura continually asked if there was going to be "more momma?". I patiently replied, "yes sweetheart there will be more." It was a beautiful evening and I was just so tickled that we did it and enjoyed it! Some of you will know what I mean. I guess this surgery thing is making me feel like I'm already taking care of 3 babies. Maybe the Lord's preparing me for whats to come. :)

Okay well Happy fourth of July everyone! We are planning on having a casual day with some swimming, a meal at the Toadsuck, and then shooting off a few fireworks with family. If I have some hands free, I'll try to take a pic or too. :) Goodnight all!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it.

We have FREE kittens! Maura would like to share some pictures of her beloved felines.
We have a total of six. 2 grays, 2 calico, 1 yellow-white (Maura's favorite), and 1 white-gray combination.
How can you resist?

Even Sophia LOVES them! She can actually say "kitty cat". It isn't intelligible to anyone else but us, but it is a consistent attempt, and mom counts it.

The girls would be outside all day if we let them.
Maura continues to learn acceptable cat interaction behavior. :) Heaven help us!

Lastly, poor Gary. He has been humbled by surgery--let me rephrase that WE have been humbled by surgery--ankle reconstruction is a big deal!

Gary is under strict orders to keep his foot elevated above his nose. This at times looks funny, but we've all grown use to it. He's suffered a substantial amount of pain (he took 35 Percocets in just over 3 days), but things are beginning to get easier. He goes back this Wednesday to have staples removed. His fantastic doctor tells us to expect a hard couple of weeks, but plan to be non-weight bearing for 10 weeks post surgery. Hopefully, the final product will be worth it. Stay tuned.

Nose picking

Alas, here are some pictures of Sophia. #1 pic: Sophia bending down to come grab the camera, #2 sitting holding onto a miniature basketball. Can't wait to post our latest pictures of the girls with the kittens.
And on a more serious note: Say a pray for Gary. He will have surgery Monday morning at 7:30am. We'll keep you posted..

Oh yeah I almost forgot...Here's Sophia headed up the steps.

New baby!

Charlie, my brother on the left, is a proud new father! He, along with his wife Valerie welcomed their first daughter, Brooklyn Paige on Wed. June 11th. She arrived at 10:25pm and weighed 7 lbs 14 oz.--Just in time for Charlie's first Father's Day.

Way to go guys!
Grandparents welcoming their 5th grandchild. Isn't little Brooklyn just beautiful? We sure think so!
Sophia Grace had her 9month check up on Monday. She weighed 18 pounds and 11 oz (50%) and measured 29 inches long (90%). She is still our sweet happy baby. I desperately need to get some new photos added to the blog in the next few days. She keeps up with her sister rather well considering her age. Right before we left to go on vacation, she figured out how to go up our entire steps. Maybe I shouldn't have encouraged her, but for bath time, I always let her climb up the steps with me following closely behind. Well now she attempts to go up the steps more routinely and it has become a major "no-no". But instead of listening to me and staying away from the risers, she instead flashes me her dimpled grin and makes a break for it. Usually she's up to at least the second step before I can get to her. It's her new game! Big sister is our watchdog. Maura is really good at letting me know if Sophia is approaching any kind of dangerous territory. I always feared she would be the one pushing her down, but thankfully she shows genuine concern for her younger sister and loves her dearly.

We took the girls to the swimming pool today. It was our first trip this season. (too bad mom forgot the camera :(). Maura loves the pool. You know you're kid is enjoying them self whenever they randomly yell out "I'm having so much fun!" or "I'm doing it!...I can swim! Mind you she had a raft wrapped around her belly for most of the time, but she really was doing a great job kicking and moving her arms. It was a great effort and she was SO proud of herself! Gary also went along which was a major help. Sophia Grace enjoyed splashing and playing with her toys. I think I might even be able to take them by myself when the time comes (see below for our reason).

Other news........Gary is having reconstructive ankle surgery on Monday the 23rd. We sure aren't looking forward to this, but feel that it's best to tackle it sooner than later. Most of you know that Gary played football in high school and college. He was a hard core wide receiver who didn't sit out much. Even when he was hurt he would play with injury. Now ten years later, he's paying for it and hasn't been able to be his normal physical/active self because of the pain. They have told us that he will be out of commission for 10 weeks (but we really don't know exactly what that means). We will soon be finding out! We are praying that surgery goes well and that he has the patience to lay still and recover quickly. :)

Also, the poor pitiful picture of me was yesterday. Let it be known that on Wed. June 18th, I was totally worthless. My eyes were closed for probably 70% of the day because of a massive migraine headache. Ever since high school I might get a migraine on occasion (4 in a year), but when I'm pregnant they seem to occur more like once a month. Usually they aren't too bad, but yesterday was a doozey! Whew! It's also harder whenever your expecting b/c you not suppose to take good drugs you're just suppose to opt for Tylenol (so it lingered and lingered). Other than that, my pregnancy is going great! I don't have any other ailments, just the occasional headache.