LONG overdue update

I can't believe I haven't updated the blog since our anniversary back in June. This summer was crazy busy and I just never got a chance to sit down and write. I will have to post pictures later since my server seems to be having problems with loading pics at the moment! So...where to start?!?!?

I guess we'll start most recent and work back from there. Joshua turned 4 on Tuesday! I cannot believe my little man is 4 years old. Didn't I just bring him home from the hospital yesterday? We haven't gone for his check up yet so I don't have the most current stats on height and weight. Last time he was weighed he was almost 40 pounds and about 43 inches tall. Long and skinny! I have had numerous people ask me how he's liking kindergarten over the past few weeks and they are shocked to learn his age. He has started the Pre-K program at his preschool but will have to do Pre-K for two years due to the cut off for Kindergarten. We are also playing soccer this fall and he loves it so far. It's going MUCH better than t-ball ever did! We haven't had our first game yet, but he loves practice and the skills clinics that we've gone to. We got Joshua a big bike for his birthday and then it promptly flooded so he is dying to get out and ride. He didn't understand why we didn't want him to go out and pedal around in the lake that was our cul-de-sac! Over all, he is still an active, fun-loving, sweet little guy. He's got a goofy personality and cracks me up on a regular basis.

Miss Lily is now 9 months old! She is so fun right now. She started crawling and pulling up at 8 months and she is in to EVERYTHING! We are having a bit of a challenge with baby food at the moment. Lily HATES all baby food and wants to feed herself thank you very much. I can't say as I blame her, baby food smells awful enough I can't imagine what it tastes like. She's not even real wild about the stuff I've pureed for her for a homemade version. She likes texture and wants to chew. We have resorted to dicing everything up very fine and she eats like a champ! So far she's had chicken, fish, bison, beef, peas, potatoes, green beans, rice, pasta, edamame and sweet potatoes off our plates and loves them all. At her check up she weighed in at 18.7 pounds and is 28.25 inches tall. She's so much smaller than Joshua but is average weight and 75% on height all around. As my pediatrician says, you can't really compare her to her brother since he was a giant and still is! I looked up my stats at that age and she is almost exactly the same size! Lily has such a fun personality developing and loves to be the center of attention. She still has diva tendencies but I'm starting to think that's just girls all around. She is far more demanding than Joshua as a baby and has definite opinions....and will voice them loudly!

We have traveled back and forth to Midland several times to see my family. We went for the 4th of July and got rained out. I actually had to buy jeans for the kids as the temperature dropped considerably! We didn't get to do our usual volleyball and cookout but we still had fun. Eric was supposed to go with us, but had to stay here when a case blew up. Poor guy spent most of the summer working like a dog and has only regained his weekends recently. That might explain the lack of posting! I usually post of Saturdays and there was a good 2 month period where we work EVERY Saturday for most of the day. Since then, we have been on the go or have had people in town. This weekend will mark our last trip with the kids for some time. We may actually get to catch our breath on the weekend...ha!

I have my first time away from Lily in October when I travel to North Carolina for a CE course. I'm looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. I think Eric is more toward the dread sensation since he will be on his own from Wednesday night to Saturday afternoon! I have a feeling Grandma and Grandpa Millner will be on call! I'm also a little concerned about weaning or not weaning Lily by that point. I've had to start supplementing here and there with formula but I'm still pumping and nursing most of the time. The dates for the conference are about 6 weeks before Lily turns 1, so I may just try to cut down on my pumping and nursing and limp along for the last little bit. I have a ton of stored milk so it may work out just right. I've nursed her longer than I was able to with Joshua and now it's a goal to make it to the 1 year mark! That is unless she starts biting like her brother!

Pictures to follow soon!