Last day of August already!?!

What a month this has been! When I think back to the last day of July, I can't believe how different today is compared to then. On July 30, Amanda and Alaina were still in Wilmington with their mom. They had only been gone a little over a week and we still had to wait several weeks before they would be home. I was still pregnant and oh-so happy about it! I was nervous about how Nicholas would react to the new baby and felt so guilty for how his life was about to change. Also, I really really really wanted our baby to be born in August and did little more than relax (at least as much as I could with Nicholas running around) so that I could hold off any chance of putting myself into labor before 8/1/08. I had already completed most of the things on my "to do" list, the house was ready for company, and we were pretty much ready for Avery's arrival. In general, things around here were pretty quiet...

Fast forward one month and we have a baby that will be 4 weeks old in just 2 days!!! Avery is spending a lot more time awake than she was right after she was born, which is making it tough to get a lot done. Her favorite activites are eating, being held, messing her diaper and sleeping (in that order). Amanda and Alaina are back home with us and have started back to school. They are both settling into their "school day" routines and are busy making plans with friends in all their spare time. Nicholas has adjusted pretty well to the arrival of his sister. He loves to push her in her swing (scary for me!), give her kisses, cover her with his blankie, and share his snacks. Keith and I are just trying to keep it all together and not lose our minds in the process! Here are some pictures from the past week...

Amanda on the first day of school
Alaina on the first day of school
Nicholas with an almost-healed knot on his forehead from tripping on his wagon
Avery just hanging out on Saturday afternoon
Nicholas giving Avery some rough love

Here we go!

Yeah, so now that I have more on my plate than ever before, I've decided to start a family blog! I've been spending a lot of time on the internet lately while I sit around feeding Avery (and there is nothing on tv!) and, honestly, I've already run out of interesting things to look up! I also decided that this would be a fun way to keep out-of town family and friends in the loop and updated with pictures, AND a great resource for me to look back on down the road to remember where we were. So, here we are!

We've had a busy couple of days. Sunday was Keith's birthday and yesterday was Amanda and Alaina's first day of school. It's so hard to believe that they are in the 10th and 7th grades already. It is just crazy how fast they grow up, and I can't help but think, as I sit here holding my beautiful 3 week old Avery that, before I even know it, she won't be a baby anymore. It's hard to even remember a time when Nicholas was this tiny, and that was only 2 years ago! Since there is no way to slow down time, I guess I need to just try extra hard to enjoy each moment...even those that may be tough to enjoy.