Will's First Steps

First Day of Preschool & Ballet

It was finally Taylor's first day of her new preschool here in Vermont. We've had lots of playgroups with her classmates, and her teacher, Mrs. Dawn, even came to our house to meet with Taylor. I am the treasurer for the school (it's a parent c0-op), so we've definitely gotten to know a lot of people. :) There was a special "orientation" night for the kids the night before their first day. We got a babysitter for Will, and Brett and I took Tay to her orientation and then to a special dinner. Here she is before we left!

She loves her preschool... there is so much to do!



After circle time...

Her baby, Lucy, came with us to dinner... Brett ordered a booster for her as well.

Going in to school the next morning...so exciting.

Next to her cubby...

When I dropped Taylor off, there were no tears. She couldn't care less that I was leaving. When I went to pick her up, she literally ran from me and said she didn't want to go home. That's a good thing, right?

The very next day, Taylor had her first day of ballet... here she is getting ready.

So serious after class...

We are glad to finally be on a schedule after a long summer!

A Visit from Memphis

Grammy and Papa came to see us a couple weeks ago for a long weekend (they were here for Hurricane Irene, so it actually was a day longer than they planned). :) We still had plenty of good weather before, and were able to spend some time outdoors. Here we are at Shelburne Farms... a must-see for visitors!



We celebrated their big 6-0 birthdays and had a birthday picnic by the lake.


Taylor's threw rocks into this little pool the entire time.

This was the day they were stranded in Burlington... it's hard to believe the storm was the day before! We were really blessed and had no problems or damage... we didn't even lose power.


Thanks for visiting us! See you soon!

Will's 1st Birthday Party

Yay for Will's giraffe birthday party!

So we had a small gathering (mainly family) and celebrated Will's first birthday with a giraffe theme. It was a perfect night for a cookout... beautiful weather.

Taylor's new friend, Robin, came over... they had a ball together. Please notice Will going to destroy the neatly arranged princesses while the girls are distracted.

For sweets, we had giraffe cupcakes, chocolate covered pretzels, and a smash cake.




Grammy and Papa were in town during the party... and my Uncle Barry and Aunt Brooke came over too.


Making the giraffe craft...

Singing to sweet Will...

He loved the cake... and fyi, fondant doesn't make nearly the mess. :)


And I went a little picture crazy... everyone but grandparents will get bored for the rest of this post...





This was his favorite pose...

Will... you are such a joy and a blessing to us. Since the moment you were born, you have been such a sweet, loving, content, happy boy. We can't believe a year has past since you were born, but we can't imagine our lives without you now! We love you and are so thankful to God for you.

Will is 1 today!

This was my birthday boy this morning... he is ONE today!

Tay is three!

I can't believe my baby girl is 3! With our big move recently, I had not planned on throwing a party. But like most 3-year olds, Taylor is obsessed with birthdays, and the guilt of not doing one was too much. :) So the weekend before her birthday, we threw a very last minute gymnastics party and invited her soon-to-be classmates in her new preschool. Yes, we invited total strangers and hoped for at least a few to show up...it turns out we sent 13 invitations and 15 kids came! We couldn't believe it.

I made this myself... just kidding. As far as princess cakes go, I have learned the tackier the better.

Will had a ball crawling and climbing.


The foam pit was the biggest hit...





The party was a lot of fun... and it turned out to be a great way to meet people!

First 3 Weeks in Vermont...

It's hard to believe this was what we were doing 3 weeks ago!

It has probably been the craziest 3 weeks of our lives, but we are doing really good. This is what Brett and my dad (and Bailey) drove all the way to Burlington after Brett's boards! If you look closely, you will see that we were literally shoving stuff in from the sunroof! Bill was fantastic at using every inch of space in our truck.

I flew up with the kiddos a day later... Linda helped a lot by flying with me. Taylor was so excited to ride on an airplane for the first time. Both Tay and Will did so well... they were polite, quiet, and even slept some!


We arrived at our new home and started unpacking. We LOVE our new house... it is really peaceful and there's so much space compared to our last home. The kiddos love their new playroom. It's kind of refreshing to just move into a home that's completely finished and not have to paint one wall or renovate anything. What a concept.

One of our first mornings eating breakfast outside... who knew July could be sunny and in the 70's?

Here we are on the Fourth of July... we went to my Aunt Brooke and Uncle Barry's home, who live in Vermont on Lake Champlain. Their home, garden, backyard, etc is beautiful!

Here is my cousin, Chelsea, and her husband, Darren, and her kiddos- Alexis and Braxton.








Here are Tay and Will at Lobster night at Aunt Brooke and Uncle Barry's...

Brooke has a HUGE beautiful garden with all kinds of flowers and vegetables...

Brett got a special fishing vest from Taylor... she had a little help from her Grandaddy.

Taylor and Brett went fishing after work one night and caught their first fish! Here she is before... she was so excited.

My mom came in town about 2 weeks ago and helped us unpack and get organized. She was a HUGE help... then Mike, Jarrett, Jordan, and Sam came in town to visit. It was great spending time with everyone! We went fishing again one night and had a picnic...



Next time, I will pack a swim suit for Tay. I didn't realize everyone would get in!



We went on the Ben and Jerry's tour in Waterbury... it was a lot of fun! Will had his first ice cream... he's spoiled for life. :)

Outside the Burlington aquarium...

My favorite thing so far has been Shelburne Farms... it is amazing. I think we will be back to visit many times. It is a 1,400-acre working farm and historic landmark with everything from huge gardens, a children's farmyard, cheesemaking, trails, tractor rides, etc.



This reminded Will of the Lewis' backyard! :) We miss our neighbors...

On the last night my family was in town, we had a mini birthday party for Taylor. I can't believe she will be 3 years old at the end of July! Taylor loves a good grilled cheese, and I got the idea of a grilled cheese bar from Martha... Vermont has such a huge variety of cheeses- it was tough to choose! We ended up with a Fontina, Apple Smoked Gruyere, Apple Smoked Gouda, Havarti with Jalapeno, Havarti with Dill, and a classic Extra Sharp Vermont cheddar. For toppings- tomato, spinach, arugula, granny smith apples, wasabi mustard, dijon mustard, pickles, and 3 different types of breads. Brett did a great job grilling them all up... yum yum!


Taylor's favorite... the cake... or rather, the icing.



We seriously can't thank our family and friends enough for all of your help and support with our move. It was truly a group effort! You know who you are!!! Truly, I can't express how loved we feel and how humbled we are by your willingness to help us in the biggest transition of our lives. We love and miss everyone! Come visit!!!