From Pastry Chefs to Flower Girls

Zack's birthday was on Thursday so the girls helped mommy make a "yummy birthday treat" for daddy.  Of course licking the beaters was the best part!

Delicious!

The finished product...

Then on Friday my cousin Keri got married in Lee's Summit and guess who the flower girls were?!  Yep, Ava and Reese.  We practiced the week before and they had a blast...towels as our aisle, branches with leaves from outside as our flowers, and a few chairs set up along the side as the wedding guests.  Then during the rehearsal on Thursday I wasn't sure if both girls would make it down the aisle for the wedding (at least not without crying).  However, both girls were perfect flower girls.  They weren't supposed to drop flowers (there was another "official flower girl" doing that) but simply hold flowers and look cute.  They pulled it off with flying colors!

Sorry this video is sideways...eventually I'll learn which way to hold my phone!

Waiting in the bride's room for the big event to start!

At the reception with cousin Bubba (Brandon).

First Day of Preschool

Today was Ava and Reese's first day of preschool.  Even though Ava cried at drop-off, it was a big hit in the end.  The girls got to go on a watermelon hunt for the watermelon that rolled away, they got to play with watermelon play-doh, and they of course got to eat watermelon.  They are both excited to go back on Thursday and while I am sure Ava will cry again next time, before we know it she'll be racing to the door.  Mommy got to make the drop-off and no tears were shed on my part.  Although it's bittersweet, I am excited for the girls to get this experience.  The tough part about having twins and not having any other children, is that you have your first and last all at once.  This was the first day of preschool for the girls but also the last first day of school for our girls.  I think about where we have come from with Ava and Reese and I am forever thankful to God for the opportunity to raise these strong healthy girls.  Three years and eight months ago, these girls were 1 lb. 13 oz. and 1 lb. 14 oz.  Now they are going to preschool!!!  God is good!

First Teeth Cleaning

Ava and Reese had their first dentist appointment yesterday.  Reese was a rock star.  She sat in the chair all by herself, wore her cool shades, opened her mouth wide and didn't complain at all.  If Reese was a rock star, we'll call Ava a back-up singer.  She tried to be very brave but sat on my lap in the chair and tried to turn her head every time the hygienist got close.  I'm not sure all 20 teeth really got cleaned but she did open up some once she calmed down a little.  She's already said, "Next time I'm not gonna cry."  Overall, they both did very well and we even got a special treat later in the day!

A Week Back Home in Galesburg, Illinois

We spent last week in our hometown of Galesburg, Illinois.  We were supposed to go back in May but Ava had an unplanned surgery during that week so we had to reschedule our trip.  A week always sounds like a decent amount of time but it flies by every time.  We love KC but it is always fun to go back to the "burg"...where we grew up, where we have our old favorite places to go for a meal (or treat), where we can show the girls what parks we went to when we were kids, and of course where our families still live.  Here is a photo/video journey of our trip.

Swimming at "Grammy's pool"

The brave little stinkers even went down the slide and off the diving board!

Visiting one of the Galesburg Firehouses

Pretending at Discovery Depot (Galesburg's Children's Museum)

Don't worry...just more pretending at Discovery Depot!

Going down the same slide that mommy and daddy went down when they were little kids!

Playing on the riding lawn mower at Nana and Pappy's neighbor's house (Thanks to the Waddills!)

Playing at their other neighbor's swing set (Thanks to the Carlsons!)

Ice cream at Kastle Kreme...just a short walk from Grammy's house!

Happy Joe's Pizza with Great Aunt Allison and Gigi Pat

Trying out cousin Bubba's old toys...12 year olds can't fit on these things anymore!

If you look closely you can see the geese crossing the road in front of Nana and Pappy's house

Daddy's best man Matt and his wife Jill came over to go on a date with mommy and daddy!  Emmy got to play with Ava and Reese!

Car rides!

Golf for Babies 2014...Another Huge Success!!!

Yesterday was the third annual Golf for Babies KC.  Because of the dedication of so many golfers, sponsors, and volunteers it was another successful event.  I can't say enough about the work that Zack puts into this event.  Although I help out and support him every step of the way, he is definitely the driving force behind it all.  The total profit at the end of the night was over $41,000 but based on our experience from the last couple years, the check that we make to March of Dimes towards the end of the year will surpass this.  We hope that everyone who participated in the event in some way had a good time and witnessed the commitment that we have to minimizing premature birth.  We are also excited for a new family-friendly event that we will be holding this winter...Putting for Preemies!  Stay tuned for more information!


The golf cart send-off with preemies cheering on the golfers.