Trike-a-thon 2015

This was Sophia's 4th and final St. Jude's trike-a-thon at St. Peter and Bentley's 1st trike-a-thon! Preston(of course) was pretty much the fastest kid on the course...whipping around each corner with no training wheels and just enough control to not crash(phew)!!  Phia had no interest in "racing" but she blew her signature kisses each time she went past us.  And Mr. Bentley who rode the "birthday bike" held his own! He loved it and loved his Jamba Juice at the end even more I'm sure.  Our kids all have a profound sense of giving back and the importance of volunteering our time and efforts to the poor and less fortunate.   In return for a "free dress" day at school the kids are asked to bring donations to the poor box.  Phia even wanted to give her tooth fairy money this year!! Our school trike-a-thon benefits St. Jude's and it is a reminder to all of us how blessed we are to be healthy!

Afternoon tea with American Girl Doll

Sophia rarely has a free moment these days so she very much appreciated a relaxing afternoon of shopping, eating, and cupcaking:) We met Emma and Auntie Kelly at the Grove for some serious girl time.  The girls get a long really well...they barely spoke to us(a nice mommy break too!!).  We met early so we could roam around a bit.  Mommy and A. Kelly used to live right around the corner from The Grove so it's always nice to take a little stroll down memory lane:)!! We probably didn't even notice the American Girl Doll store 15 years ago...oh how times have changed.  Sophia choose a dog to buy at the store and named him "Lola".  We sat on the terrace and enjoyed lunch a dessert before we headed to ...eh hem...our second dessert of cupcakes! What a fun day!!

Mr. Bentley Owen gets glasses

When Bentley turned 3 his pediatrician did a standard eye test and immediately told us there was an "abnormality"  and said we'd need to make an eye doc appointment for him ASAP.  Time clearly got away from us and when we brought him in ...eh hem...March it was clear to the eye doc right away he had vision problems.  It wasn't what we thought though.  It's not the power in his eyes(close or far sighted) but rather a bad astigmatism in both eyes which essentially makes everything blurry regardless of the distance.  POOOOOOR BABY!!!! Sooooo we ordered the glasses on the spot and one week later we picked them up(just in time for Disney World!) and what a new world it was for our B bear! Sophia came with us to the appointment and the second he put on the glasses he let out a yelp.  Rather than taking steps to get out of the office, he was tip toeing.  He said "Mommy, why is the ground jumping?" and "why is everything moving around".  The doctor said it would take some getting used to as his prescription is strong but we weren't prepared for such a huge adjustment! The great thing is that he keeps them on and now one month later asks for them first thing in the morning.  He gets stopped all the time by strangers admiring his cool glasses AND most especially he gets stopped by others with glasses and often gets a "high 5" out of it.  He's such a good sport and we just love him to pieces!!! Oh and he looks like a complete stud in them which helps:)!!!

All things Olivia...knocking on 2's door!

She's such a love.  We hit the baby jackpot and don't want it to end.  She is so super verbal.  Can count to 10, says the alphabet, sings 'Twinkle Twinkle", "You are my Sunshine" and her new favorite is "patty cake".  Mommy and Liv go to Gymboree on Tuesday's and Thursday's mornings.  We have a few hours alone together and she absolutely loves it! I hear her in her crib saying "Ohhhh Gymbo"  and she of course loves the bubble song.  If you ask her "Where's Gymbo?" she'll always answer "He's nigh night!!".  And her latest trick is jumping out of her crib and sleeping on the floor of her room which is where Phia found her fast asleep this week.  She's truly a Tees baby and is often the greeter wherever we go "Hi lady!!" or "Hi man" to whoever crosses her path.  She's definitely independent, yet is our most cuddly baby:) She says her siblings names as follows: Phia, B, and Feston(oh how we love that one!).  And she is oh so polite and always says her please, thank you, bless you, and your welcome! She LOVES to climb(yikes) and is very active and still likes to sleep and is very much on a set nap schedule.  Her bedtime is still at 6:30pm and she's such a sleepy bear when that hour comes.  We cannot imagine our family without her and she brings so much light and joy to our house! Oh and she's a super pro on the 3 wheeled scooter and scoots herself all over the yard and house(shhh don't tell Daddy)