life is so much sweeter

with friends

we spent last week with some of my most favorite friends.  who doesn't love the beach?  tons of fun was had by all. 

addison spent most of her time trying to keep up with the big girls or telling the little girls what to do

avery rarely came up for air

and sweet anderson just did whatever we needed him to do

so thankful for wonderful friends!

638

curious as to what these numbers mean? 

638

the number of times i hear mommy each day?  (nope, way more than that)

the number of hairs on andersons head?

the number of times i have to stop and pick up a my little pony toy?

the number of times i pray for sanity?

the number of sonic blasts i've eaten this month?

if you said any of these...you're wrong!

it's ages of my kiddos, well, sort of.

my avery... is about to be 6 years old, which baffles me.  where did the time go?  where is sunset drive and her little nursery?  where is this little butterball of a baby?  I'll tell you where she is...she's grown into a little girl that has lost 3 teeth (two she pulled herself), who learned to swim on her stomach, back and underwater in 6 days, and is about to start REAL kindergarten.  i'm trying to savor every moment of this summer...it's my last one before her 'school years.'

sweet addison...in the middle of her 3rd year.  when we moved last year she was still in diapers and now she's grown into this sassy, independent little girl that says things like "i'm serious mommy."  she's a dance machine and a cuddle bug.  her attitude (when her arms aren't crossed and she's not stomping across the room) and empathy make me want to be a better person.  she loves to hug me and allen and tell us "i'll take care of you."  she's going to be a great mommy.

little anderson...already 8 weeks.  i call him my little punkin-doodle, which often gets shortened to little punk.  we all love his hair...it's just as thick as the girls when they were this age...and i'll admit, i've given him a mohawk.  on purpose.  and liked it.  it was inspired by the nickname.

here are two similar pictures i found of avery with addison and anderson. 

if you ask me who he looks like, i will have two answers - 1) like allen, 2) like avery as a baby. i think he has the best of avery and addison to make the perfect little anderson.  he's so sweet and has the sweetest temperament.  he loves for the girls to talk to him and they take every opportunity to get right in his face.  and while he might fall asleep in your arms, he doesn't want to be held while he sleeps.  we still swaddle him and he's the first of my little ones to take a pacifier.  he's found his thumb several times in the car and playing but because he sleeps swaddled, it's just not there for him to have.  8 weeks have flown by and while life is definitely a little busier, i couldn't imagine it any other way!

the gift giver

i've been thinking a lot about weddings lately.  we have several to attend this summer and, most importantly, my sister is getting married in august and we're all in wedding mode!  i love weddings - the planning, the food, the pictures, calligraphy on the envelopes, flowers, the dress up - every.single.detail.  i have coordinated many weddings and i love helping brides make sure their day goes as planned.  i think it's my type-A personality.  it's also a need to have things under control - one of my many gifts flaws. 

anyway...

one of my favorite things about weddings is picking out the perfect gift.  which means browsing a registry.  which takes me back to the point and shoot gun at all of my registry locations.  all six registry locations.  not really six, i think it was five.  seriously.  five.  can you say OB-NOX-IOUS?

a blog i follow recently asked us to tell her our best/worst wedding gifts. 

my favorite was not on my registry - shock - it was a laundry basket filled with things you don't think about buying when you're a nearly-wed.  tide, downy, paper towels, a swiffer kit, toilet paper, febreeze, cascade, hand soap, hand towels, ziploc bags in all sizes windex, endust, coat hangers, candles, aluminum foil, chip clips, a gas gift card, a movie rental gift card...you get the idea.  it was overflowing of some of the most practical household items that really add up on your grocery budget (we didn't have a budget when we got married...we just spent).  and i've given this gift to several others as they've gotten married. 

my least favorite was...well i'm not telling.  :)  just kidding.  i really can't remember anything i just didn't like.  plenty of duplicates and things i didn't use.  and i'm sure there were things i didn't like - trust me - i just can't remember what they were.

so tell me yours - favorite and least favorite thing you got?  favorite thing to give?