Jillian's 10 Month Pictures

Here are baby girl's latest pictures :)

To get started, click below and enter your Customer Name (SHANNON ROBERTS):https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0390101898JCP

Jillian's Big Accomplishment and Funny Big Brother

So the Friday night after finals was C-Night. We let Jillian cry it out. The first night she woke up 3 times and cried for 20 minutes at one wakening. Mama was a wimp and put in ear plugs. So her accomplishments are all thanks to daddy. The next night she woke up less and cried for shorter periods of time. Again ear plugs for me. By the third night we were just hearing a whimpering every now and then. Now my big girl is sleeping through the night. From about 7:00 pm to 6:00 am every time. Yeah Jillian!!

Drew is always saying that the stove, BBQ pit or coffee "could be hot." Or if he sees something he can just tell is not for little ones he will say "it could be a no no." So he was watching me cook biscuits and gravy and he asked what the gravy was. When I told him, he said "yeah, gravy, it could be yummy." I love that kid.

Safety First

Sunday afternoon during the second round of playing outside, Andy found the helmet and pads we bought for Drew 2 years ago when we were going to put him in a seat on the back of Andy's bike. They fit much better now. I know that Drew's tricycle is not moving at high rates of speed or big risk for tipping over, but I think that wearing a helmet is a good habit to get into, before this toddler turns into a daredevil racing little boy. He seemed to like them.

Mama the New Body Pillow for Dogs

Saturday morning after Andy cooked pancakes I fell back asleep on the couch. Yes those lumps under Lucy are me. The funny part is that I didn't even know that there was a 90 lb dog on top of me. I slept right through it.

Nana & Papa are the Best!!

When Nana and Papa came to visit, they came with a surprise for Drew and Jilli. A cozy coupe car - we have been wanting one of these for a long time. While we were gone Mom kept the house picked up, laundry caught up, cooked big meals and took care of my babies while Dad conquered my list of honey-do's or more appropriately daddy-do's. He did more than was on my list and started on the swing set. Andy and I were talking about we could have a very lucrative business by renting out my parents. Babysitting and Handy work. You see why I say they are the best.

Drew and Jilli did fine without us. I was missing my babies a lot and had a hard time leaving. It was the longest time I have been away from Jillian and maybe even Drew. Mom said that Drew asked where mama and daddy were and would get in his car and say he was going to see mama at the hospital. (I guess he thought I was working for 48 hours straight) I talked to both of them on the phone a couple times a day. Pathetic I know. It is amazing the improvement in Jilli's walking in just a couple of days. When we got back to Bonner she was walking from the living room to the kitchen. A nice vacation, but even better to be back to my munchkins.

Sunday before my exhausted parents left, Andy, Drew and my Dad finished putting together our swing set of many pieces that we have had in boxes for almost a year. Below Drew is doing some very important measurements with his measuring tape.

I don't know how Dad and Andy could have done it without Drew's help.

Drew was itching to climb up that ladder and I wouldn't let him until it was secured to the tower. Once it was, he said to Daddy and Papa "watch out boys, I'm coming up." The things that come out of that kid's mouth are a crack up.

My kids were swinging for so long I thought they might have vertigo when they got down. I kept asking Drew if he was done and he would yell "No, I swing." And so they swung.

Jilli bean is enjoying her new swing set. She is wearing her First Cardinals' Tee.

Belated Big Cedar Anniversay Trip

Our 5th Wedding Anniversary was May 3rd, also right in the meat of the finals. So after the studying and test taking was over Andy and I went on a mini vaca to celebrate our love. Barf right? We needed some time just to look at each other and talk to each other. Our schedules don't leave much time for any talk except for the "rundown" Who ate what and when, who has pooped today, when were they changed last, how were naps and what time do I want up. That is pretty much the gist of our conversations for 18 weeks. I am sure everyone sees why we needed some time together. Nana and Papa came Wednesday morning to babysit and we left that afternoon for Big Cedar Lodge in Branson. We had a wonderful time, lots of walking the trails, we went out on a paddle boat and had a cook out.

There was a suspension bridge over Devil's Pool that went from our cabin to the main area. Above are pictures of the view from the bridge.

The scenery of the property was almost surreal - Waterfalls and beautiful flowers and of course the view of Table Rock Lake.

Duckies

Surprise - we befriended a cat. We gave it a bowl of water and some trail mix (that is all we had). The cat enjoyed the water, but the trail mix just attracted ants - yuck.

The ironic part of the trip was our cabin was the Porter Wagoner Cabin. For those of you who don't know, Porter Wagoner is from West Plains.

Timberlakes Park

Monday Andy, Drew, Jillian, Bailey, Lucy and I went to the little walking park/pond/play area in our subdivision. Andy played fetch with the dogs until they wore out, which doesn't take long. The kids and I played on the play set. Jillian loved the swing. Drew likes climbing to the top and playing with the rocks. So we were having a great time. The dogs were worn out and just hanging out and we were playing on the play set. Then an old fat fart waddles over to a garden (on the public grounds) behind the swing set and grumbles "Are those your dogs? They need to be on leashes. I am afraid of dogs." So we had to tie the dogs to the bench until we left. It just really ticked my off. The dogs didn't even approach him or come anywhere near him. I think I should have told him that I am afraid of creepy old guys around my children, could he leave? I don't know that he is not a pedophile. This is why I hate people. After he waddled off we took them off of the leashes again. Na Na Na Na Poo Poo!

Drew decided to put a "flower" (dandelion) behind his ear. It ended up just being squashed up pieces of "flower" behind his ear. Drew picks "flowers" for me all the time from our yard. What a sweet boy.

Washing the Truck

Sunday we decided to wash the vehicles and clean them out. The truck took so long that the car got neglected. Drew was excited to go outside again. This kid loves to be outside and he knows that when I put sunscreen on him it means outside time. He did a really good job of washing the truck, the drive way, and the grass.

A little washing.

A little break.

Back to work kid, time to earn your chocolate milk.

He even scrubs tires.

Poor Jillian was jailed in the pack and play. She didn't mind at first and I helped the boys with the washing. Once I walked by her and didn't pick her up she got mad. So I held her for awhile and then the girls headed inside.

The Semester is Over!!!

So as soon as Andy's last final was over we met him for a celebratory lunch followed by a weekend of much needed family time. Saturday Andy put up the gate for our porch that Dad made for us. This outside time on a sunny day gave Jillian the opportunity to model her new sun hat. I was talking at work how the hats we have don't even shade her face. A few days later my friend Michele gave Jilli this adorable hat that is SPF 50 and gives her plenty of shade. I think she looks adorable in it and we have used it almost every outing since.

Look how perfect our gate matches the porch. When we re-stain the porch this summer it will look awesome. Andy did a fine job putting up. He couldn't have done it with out Drew and Jillian's help. It primary purpose is to give me peace of mind when the dogs are out. Once they do their business they can sunbathe on the porch. Bailey did this before the gate, but wandering Lucy, liked to roam in to the front and other people's yard. I was afraid that she might wander into the street.

We got out Drew's T-ball set and he had a lot of fun. He was really careful about just hitting the ball and not knocking the tee down. So he wasn't hitting the ball very far, but he loved following daddy around the pretend bases. As he rounded the bases we would yell out "first, second, third" and then tell him to "run home" and he would get upset. I think he thought "run home" meant we were going inside. So... he may not be the next home run hero, but he gets a triple every time.

Playing with the Cousins

So for Mother's day the kids and I made another dadless trip to my parents. Mother's day was the weekend right in the middle of finals. Sunday morning Brett, Anne and the kids came up to Mom and Dad's. All the kids played until it was time to meet Bryce and Tammy in Columbia for lunch. Drew and Jillian were both worn out and it showed at lunch. I am just going to say that I would never make it as a single parent, I don't know how people do it. Drew ate some spinach artichoke dip and it was spicy, as I was trying to have him take a drink or spit it out, Jillian grabbed a chip and dip off of my plate and it was all over her. On her dress, on her face, in her ear. I was getting really flustered. It had been a sleepless night before with storms and Jilli getting up and plus I knew that I had to go to work that night. That seems to make the exhaustion seem worse. Then once again, my mom came to the rescue and fed Jilli and shared her salad with Drew, while I ate. We survived and made it home safely. Below is McKenzie, Jillian and Payton.

Kyle and Drew

Jilli wearing Payton's Cardinal's hat.

Chocolate Cake for Nana

For Mother's Day, Drew and I made Nana a cake. He had lots of fun cooking with mama. This was my first attempt at a cake from scratch and homemade chocolate butter cream icing. Drew added some extra baking soda while I wasn't looking and I had to scoop it out. Thankfully it was on top of the cocoa so it was pretty easy to get it. Drew and I also made Nana a poster with a poem telling her how she is the world's greatest mom. And I really to think she is, she has been amazing to me and my family this year. I couldn't do enough for her, give her enough presents or tell her enough how much we love and appreciate her.

So Drew had fun making the cake, but as we were reading Nana her poem and presenting her with her presents (including the cake), Drew decided to dig in. He just planted his face right into the cake. It was so funny and there was not warning at all. I guess he couldn't help himself. He is a chocoholic like his Nana.

You can see his little face print in the cake :)

Parents As Teachers

We have taken advantage of the Parents as Teacher program in our new school district and they are wonderful. On this visit Karen Kelly, our parent educator, was working with Drew, shaving cream and food coloring. She is brave. The point of this activity was to see if Drew could recognize a familiar character when only part of their face was exposed. And of course he impressed us. He surprised me a little about how cautious he was about using his hands in the shaving cream and how he wanted it wiped off of him every two seconds. I may have given the kid a complex about making a mess. After a while he began to dig in and explore.

Drew liked using the Popsicle stick to move the shaving cream around. Notice the napkins for wiping off his hands.

Jilli Cruising

So this video is from the beginning of May and as you can see Jillian does pretty well walking behind her toy. She also walks behind her and Drew's table and pushes it across the kitchen several times a day. On mother's day, while we were at Nana and Papa's house she took 3 unassisted steps and since then more and more everyday. Now she can go from the living room to the kitchen. We have an official walker. She is more cautious than Drew was. Drew took a lot of headers and almost was running from the beginning. She walk a little slower and really works at her balance. When she start to lose her balance she falls on to her bottom. Smart girl the bottom is padded with a diaper and the head is unprotected. We tried to get a video of her walking this weekend, but it is hard to do. I will hopefully have one to post soon.

World's Worst Blogger

Sorry everyone about the lapse in post. Life was a little crazy for awhile with finals, mother's day etc. Hopefully I will get caught up by the week's end. A lot has been going on in our lives.

The Look Returns

I knew it would return -here is that "come on mom" look again.

Mr. Potato Claus

So at any given time Drew will put on someones shoes, or wear his Santa hat from Aunt Tammy or wear the Mr. Potato head glasses and say "I a professor." But on this day he decided to combine the hat and glasses with daddy's running shoes(on the wrong feet I must point out). It is definitely a nice look. My co-worker say that this would be a great Christmas card picture.

Any one notice that Drew has been topless a lot lately. No he didn't grow out of all his shirts. I just take them off if a meal is going to be any bit messy. Although on this day, he ate breakfast with it on. He had cereal and as if the milk dripping from the spoon wasn't enough to get his shirt wet, Nana taught him to pick up his bowl and drink the milk and I am sure you can see where this story us going. Thus a shirtless Drew.