Sorry!

I can't believe that the last time I updated the blog was in April! It is amazing how the time gets away from me. I shouldn't complain that I don't have enough time as I don't even go to work anymore. So I'm sure that those of you who check the blog have been wondering what we have been up to. Well, it's been so long that I can't remember either! Here is what I do remember.

In early May we had our first visit from friends from Portland. One of my friends from Mentor Graphics who has family nearby in North Carolina came out to visit. While she was in town she brought her two daughters over to visit. It was so much fun. The girls all had a great time and Morgan is still talking about her friend Emily.

I started the process to volunteer at the Greenville Hospital as a NICU Cuddler. It has been a longer process than I anticipated, so I have not actually started cuddling yet. I went for orientation, got my uniform, spent two hours watching safety videos and am now waiting for all my background checks to go through. The background check should be complete this week and then I will go and get my badge and learn how to log in and then I will finally be able to start cuddling. Of course, I will be on vacation so I probably won't be able to start until after that.

On June 1st I celebrated my 35th Birthday! It was fairly low key. I spent the day at with the girls and had pizza and ice cream cake with Craig, Kaylee, Morgan, Keith & Sharon. It was a very nice day and luckily I don't feel any older. Hopefully, I'm not looking older. :)

Kaylee finished Kindergarten on June 1st. She had a good year and is looking forward to first grade. She is reading very well and she was able to get her first library card. We recently started reading the Junie B. Jones series of books and they are great. They remind me of the Ramona books I used to read as a kid. Kaylee had her first class program. They sang about 5 songs which Kaylee knew very well, but she was so nervous that she didn't smile once through the whole program. We also got Kaylee's hair cut short for the summer. You can see the before and after pictures below!

Craig has been very busy with work, traveling and motorcycle riding. He has been able to ride his motorcycle for several trips for work. This makes him very happy since he gets to spend time riding and get away from the house full of girls.

I've been keeping busy with the girls. I've also started working with a personal trainer at they YMCA. It's hard work, but hopefully it will pay off. The next big thing is that Craig and I will be going to the yearly motorcycle meeting this weekend for Valkyrie riders. Craig is very excited and it's only about a 100 miles away from us this year, so I will be able to drive and enjoy part of Craig's life that I don't usually get a chance to. As soon as I get back from that trip, I will be getting ready for our big summer vacation. Kaylee, Morgan and I are spending 4 weeks visiting friends and family in Oregon. We are very excited. It's been almost a year since we have seen my family so it will be a very fun trip. Since we will be staying for 4 weeks, I'm looking forward to not be so busy that I won't be able to see everyone.

Now, the big news for our family is of course....Morgan! She has been very busy lately. For all of you that don't see her on a regular basis, she is a big talker. I think she talks as well now as Kaylee did at the same age. She is a very funny child and likes to make people laugh. The other night, I put the girls to bed and Morgan was sitting in her bed talking. I called into her and said "No talking, Morgan." and she says "I am talking!" I said "I know you are talking and you need to stop." So she replies with "I don't care!" I couldn't believe it. How old is this kid. Then I hear Kaylee laughing quietly at Morgan's comment. They are quite the team. In May, Morgan learned how to crawl. It was great. She is very into doing things on her own. This means that she won't crawl during Physical Therapy or when you ask her to, but if it is totally her idea then she is on board. She has gotten pretty good at crawling, but still scoots on her bottom most of the time as it is the fastest way for her. It's also much easier to carry things in your hands. On June 12th, she pulled herself up to standing next the ottoman. It was another huge milestone for her. She can now pull herself up at a chair, couch, ottoman, stool or even the side of the kiddie pool. She is our little daredevil. She doesn't seem to be scared of much. She tries to climb up on our big pillows and likes to play and wrestle with Dad and Kaylee. If she falls down she just says "I fell down" and then she gets right back up. She also has been testing out walkers and just got the one that fits her perfectly today. She doesn't always love putting on her braces, but she is doing good with her walking and hopefully within the next 6 months or so she can be walking on her own. Which is the biggest milestone!

Well, hope you all our having a great summer and I will post when we get back from Oregon about our trip.

Here are some recent pictures for ya'll!