Avonlea Turns 2!

We celebrated Avonlea's 2nd birthday this past weekend and how great it was to see family and friends. We are so blessed to have so many people who love our daughter. Avonlea actually turned 2 on Thursday and that night I made her two favorite foods, maccaroni and cheese with peas. She also received her birthday gift from Daddy, Lincoln and I that night which was a play kitchen. Since receiving it, she hasn't stopped "cooking" on it. We also received a Skype call from Grandma Bates in China!

Saturday was nice. The weather cooperated and even though another family showed up 15 minutes after us to celebrate their daughter's birthday, it worked out just fine. The party was at a local park right off the water so we had a breeze and the shade trees were great as it got hotter that afternoon. We had pizza and cupcakes, played on the playground, hit our Elmo pinata (which Avy wasn't happy about-oops! Didn't think about that one!) and Avonlea received some very thoughful gifts. Needless to say, we were pretty tired that afternoon.

Lots is going on with construction. Tomorrow the guys are "supposed to" tear down walls so we'll see if they follow through (don't you just love how timely construction goes?). Our dear friend Steve is getting married next weekend so there's lots to do this week and Rob and I are in the wedding so we're looking forward to an adults' night out. :) My sweet friend Stefanie is watching the kiddos while we're out.

Have a great week everyone! Don't forget to thank the Lord for your blessings today.

A Bucs Game and DEMO!

So we FINALLY started demolition this week and it feels so good to get rolling on this project. The guys began Monday morning at 8:02 (I was very impressed that they showed up on time!) and so far the guest bathroom is pretty much gone. The front porch has been "mapped out" for concrete and pillars and today's goal is to accomplish the remaining demo in the guest bathroom and then get the pantry and some other walls knocked out by Monday. Being up and ready to go by 8:00 a.m. with both kids has definately been a challenge the past two days, but well worth it. We've been "bunking out" at my parents' house during the day (the kids need a somewhat quiet place to nap) and sleeping at our house at night. We've been debating whether or not to look into sleeping elsewhere at night while the kitchen is being ripped apart. We'll see.

Rob and I were fortunate to go to a Bucs game this past Sunday. Rob won tickets through his work and it was such a blessing to get out just him and I for the afternoon. It was a crazy game and we wound up winning 24 to 3. It also downpoured so the picture is of Rob and I right after it was raining. We were SOAKED, but it felt so good after an hour of HOT Florida sun.

The Seabird Sanctuary and etc...

So, we took a little trip to the Seabird Santuary out on the beach this past Friday and the kids had a blast. We met up with Zachary and Emily (Avonlea's two best buds) and the kids enjoyed looking at the birds. It was such a nice day out due to the fact that we received a lot of wind from the (almost) tropical storm that was circling us. After the sanctuary, we all went over to a nearby playground and as the kiddos were playing, us moms got some time to chat and relax.

As for the construction, let's just say that so far, I'm not impressed with American Housing Corp. They haven't gotten hardly a thing done!!! They're supposed to show up Monday for the major demo, but I'll belive it when I see it. So far, this construction project has panned out like all the remodeling shows we see on tv. Contractors are only after the almighty buck and don't care about being on time. Urgh!!! I'm sure this is just another learning experience the Lord is putting us through to see how we persevere. With every phone call I make (I've got to keep these guys in line!), I just have to remember that I represent Jesus Christ, so keep me accountable friends/family okay?

Rob won Bucs tickets through his work and we're going to the game tomorrow (mom and dad are watching the kiddos). We're very excited because we haven't been out on a date in awhile. The last "date" was drive through dinner at Chick-Fil-A and a visit to Home Depot and Lowe's looking for bathroom vanities, appliances and faucets. Don't get me wrong, we were just happy to be out alone without little ones for a night (thanks Grandma G.G.!).

Avonlea has officially moved up to the two's class at church and although she always enjoyed church before, she REALLY loves it now. We went to church tonight (since we'll be cheering on our Bucs tomorrow) and Avonlea didn't want to leave, meanwhile her brother was screaming his head off in the baby nursery (he was exhaused and is used to me rocking him to sleep which the nursery worker didn't know about).

Lincoln is 3 and 1/2 months old now, weighs 17 pounds and is really starting to bud a personality. He laughs, "talks" and smiles all the time now which is really neat. Me...I'm still trying to loose the baby weight. I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and have been for weeks, but I'm really hoping that I can get back down to where I was before having Avonlea. Having two babies in the past two years has really done a number on me, but I'll just have to keep up with the Winsor Pilates I guess!

Avonlea's birthday is next weekend and we're very excited about it. She's having a Sesame Street birthday party complete with a pinata and pin the nose on Elmo game. It's at a nearby park (literally 3 minutes away) and I'm pumped about that seeing as I might forget something and it's only a 3-minute drive home to get something.
Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to all my cousins...Abigail, Madelynn and Isabella!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Remember to thank the Lord for all your blessings He has given you this day. We have so much to be thankful for!!!

SMILES!!!

Lincoln has been smiling for quite some time now, but I've never been able to keep him smiling long enough to grab the camera and take a decent picture. So, here are some pictures we took tonight to proove that he actually does smile. :)







Things are good in the Bates house. Our outside construction is supposed to begin this Wednesday (the new porch and entrance area) so we're looking forward to that. Rob and I have pretty much finished moving things out of the house (the last of the furniture, etc.) and into the garage or our other house downtown. We've also been busy planning Avonlea's birthday party (2 more weeks to go!) which should be fun. We're having it at a park just down the street so it should be fun.

Wishing everyone a great week...

Today is Lincoln's 3-month-old birthday. I can't believe my "little guy" is 3 months old already!!!

Today also marks the anniversary of 9-11. My prayers go out to those who still miss their husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters and other family memebers directly effected by the trajedy we witnessed years ago. The Bates family wore red, white and blue today in rememberance of the lives lost not only in Pennsylvania, the Twin Towers and Pentagon, but also those lives lost at war. Thanks to the soldiers and others who work around the clock keeping Americans safe.

So, we've been without cable/internet for a few days, but we're back on track now. Why have we been without cable/internet you ask? Let's just say we've had a few trees/stumps cut down and some yardwork done. I'm not exactly a "tree-hugger" but I'm not a big fan of cutting them down. However, with the construction that's about to happen (next week they're starting the renovation of the outside), there were some trees/stumps that had to come out to get trucks into the yard, the outside of the house stuccoed and painted and the landscaping done. Needless to say, the yard looks HUGE and we've been enjoying the extra space to play ball, etc.

Avonlea has been enjoying catching frogs in the backyard so of coarse we had to take a picture or two.



Lincoln is growing and growing! At the doctor's the other day, he was 17 pounds!!! He's in 6-9 month clothing (yes, that's right). He's got asthma just like Avonlea (the allergy-related kind) and this child is SO strong!

A Day at the Science Center

Avonlea really enjoyed her first trip to the Science Center this morning. She pet many different kinds of sea life, watched snakes, a giant frog, mice, owls, alligators, rabbits and many more animals as they went about their day at the center. It was hard getting her to leave, but I'm sure we'll be back. She's definately an animal lover like her mommy!

For The Drydens...

For Auntie Kris, Uncle Dean, Abby, Sam and Aleah in London. :)

Rob Rocks!!

I am so proud of my husband. He's been working on constructing (from scratch) a playground/fort for the kids for the past few weeks and he's finally finished! At first, I was skeptical thinking "how are you going to do this?", but he's proven me wrong. He simply went to Home Depot, bought the materials and built the most amazing playground. Way to go Rob!!!