Little walkers

It seems like overnight Ally has gotten so much better at walking. She doesn't need anyone nearby her to give it a try and she is doing so well! Dave made a comment on Sunday saying Ally would be walking all over the house by the end of the week, and it looks like it will happen. Here is a video of how good she is getting.

Birthday wishes

Emily and Ally have been blessed with 2 awesome sets of grandparents who love them and desire to see them as often as they can. This past weekend for the girls party, Grandpa and Grandma Weir drove down just for the day, to hang out with the girls and be with them on their special day. Not a lot of grandparents would do that. Jeff, you are such a loving and caring Grandpa as well as father-in-law. You have always made me feel welcome in your family. We love you so much and hope you have a happy birthday!! Here is a little something from Emily and Ally:

Check-up

Today Ally and Emily had their 1 and 3 year check-ups. Everything went really well and the doctors office finally has all of their medical records. Ally weighs 20 pounds and she is 30 1/4 inches long. Emily is 30 pounds and 37 1/2 inches. The doctor did some weird math and said he predicted Emily was going to be 5ft 8 in. I am not sure how he did the math or how accurate that is but Dave is happy because that means she will be shorter than him. I had the doctor check Emily's rash because even though she is not wearing diapers anymore, she still gets the rash. He said it wasn't a yeast infection (go figure! It has been there for 2 years now!) but that it was some sort of contact breakout. Something she touches or wears makes her break out. He told us to stop giving her bubble baths and that may help but he also gave us a prescription to help it go away. I am not getting my hopes up to high because we have tried a lot of different things and nothing has worked. Emily had her first shot that she will remember. The whole time we were waiting for the nurse to come, she kept saying she didn't want a shot. She didn't really know what to expect about the pain so she wasn't too upset before the process began but once the needle went in, I thought she was going to jump off the table. I had to hold her down but she is a lot harder to hold down than Ally. She cheered up when I told her she could have a sucker at the check-out desk. Ally is doing great as well. The doctor said she can go off the bottle and she can eat just about anything, except the choking foods (nuts, grapes, popcorn, etc...). She can have peanut butter, honey, milk and all that sort of stuff that you have to be careful about before age 1. Ally has also been trying to walk a lot more by herself. She has learned to stand up without anything nearby her! She kept walking up to the doctor and trying to get him to hold her. It was really cute. Ally got one shot today and then we have to go back in a month to get another one because they were out.
Going to the doctor today makes me so thankful to have two healthy beautiful girls. I cannot believe how fast they are growing up and seeing how much their weight and height has changed since they were born is amazing.

Birthday Time!!

This weekend was a whirlwind of craziness. Thursday my mom came into town and she watched the girls so that Dave and I could go out for our anniversary. We had a great night at the Melting Pot for dinner and then at the movies seeing The Dark Knight. I am so thankful for Dave and the 4 years that we have been married. Friday Dave took the day off and Jennifer came in that morning. We did some party preparation and shopping and then Grace and Eric came in later that night. After the girls had gone to bed, we decorated the house for the party. Saturday morning the party began. The girls loved the balloons and streamers and were really excited to start the day. Emily got to wear her present from Dave and me which was a princess dress-up dress. She has been wearing it all weekend. Dave's parent drove in for the day and Christy and Nathan also came into town. It was a full house and a ton of fun. After the girls naps we had cupcakes and present time. For dinner we went to Pappadaux which is a seafood restaurant (in keeping with the pirate theme). Sunday morning everyone left and now we are trying to get the house back in order. We had so much fun celebrating the girls births and we are so blessed to have so many people in our lives who love them. Thank you to everyone who came and for the wonderful gifts you gave. Here are some pictures of the weekend.

Party prep.

Presents!

One of the birthday girls!

Emily opening her gifts.

Cupcakes.

The other birthday girl anxiously waiting her first cupcake.

Singing Happy Birthday.

Making sure it is ok.

Princess pirate Emily.

She liked it a little.

Ally opening her gifts.

Boots!

Pirate Ally with cool boots on.

Family photo.

Ally having fun.

Ally figured out how to drink out of a straw all by herself. She was really excited about it.

Dinner.

The group.

Playing pin the treasure on the map (the morning after the party. We kind of ran out of time).

Pinata time!

Ally is 1!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLY!!

Being a teacher, Day 1

I am back from my first day of work, if you could even call it that. Today was just a training day where I got to meet all of the other teachers and we went over the handbooks and such. Normally it would have been a boring morning of going over the rules and regulations, but the group of ladies I will be working with have such a great sense of humor. Not a single thing got read without someone chiming in with a comment or story. I was super intimidated at first because everyone else has been there for a while with the exception of one other new girl, but everyone made me feel right at home. I think it is going to be a great school year and I am really looking forward to getting to know the other teachers better. As of right now I am going to be one of three 2 year old teachers. Every classroom has two teachers in it. The 2 year old classroom is so big they had to divide it into 2 classrooms and right now there are only three teachers. The director is still looking for a fourth teacher but if she can't get one before the school year starts, I think we might all be in the same room. Thursday we are going to be setting up our classrooms and getting ready for the open house a week from then. The open house is a chance for parents and kids to come and meet all of the teachers. Then school begins on September 2! One of the greatest things about this job is that while I am working, the girls are getting free, and good, childcare! I can check on them whenever I want and the people watching them are super nice. Most of the other teachers have younger kids as well, so Emily has a couple of new friends already. God has given me such a wonderful opportunity with this job and I am so pumped about this school year.

I am going to be a teacher!

It is true! I got a teaching job! Last Monday, I was looking over the church bulletin. I did not get to go to church that Sunday because Ally was sick, but Dave still went with Emily. Scanning through the announcements I found a section about a need for teachers for the church's Weekday Early Education program. The program is for kids ages 9 months to pre-kindergarten, Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the regular school year. I called the director to ask a few questions and found out I didn't need a teaching degree or associates to apply for the job. I also found out that Emily and Ally could attend for a fraction of the regular cost. I went and picked up an application and turned it back in and began the waiting process. By Thursday I still hadn't heard anything and I was getting a little discouraged. I called the director and she said she was waiting for my background check to come back but she went ahead and scheduled and interview with me for today. After a long weekend of anticipation, I went in for my interview this morning. Dave was gracious to go into work late so he could watch the girls. After a couple of questions, the director told me she really wanted me as a teacher! I am so excited for this opportunity. I have put my schooling and career hopes on hold so that I can be at home with Emily and Ally. I have never regretted that decision because I love being able to raise the girls, but I have always wondered what life would be like if I had finished school and became a teacher before having kids. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me and supporting me for this job.