Lowry Park Zoo

For Isla's 2nd birthday (next week!) Mamaw and Papaw got her and the family a year pass to the Lowry Park Zoo! It is a great gift as the zoo is only 9 miles from us and is such an easy morning or afternoon activity for us to do with the kids.  Isla has really been into animals recently. Her favorite books are ones with animals where you learn where they live, what they do and what kind of sound they make. 

Family Day at the Zoo!

Isla's Birthday Week :)

 To say that she loved the Zoo would be a complete understatement. She went nuts over all the animals and open space to run, walk, skip, and play in water! Every time we got to a new exhibit she would see the animal and her jaw would drop and she would say, "oooooohhh....uuuuuukk, uuuuukk!" (ooo, look, look!) She was so excited that the drama to her facial expressions and hand gestures were priceless!!

"oooooo, mun-kay, munkay!"

Checking it all out

Her favorites: the mun-kays, ahh-turds, manny-tees, burdies, hors-eees, and jaffs!! 

(monkeys, otters, manatees, birdies, horsies, and giraffs)

Isla and the otter waving to each other!!

Everett was amazing...he slept most of the morning, and just sat in the stroller checking everything out. He was a champ and I can't wait until he is a little older to enjoy it more!

Jaffs! (giraffs) 

ooooooooo, uuuukk uuuuk!!

Looking at the all-E-baiters (alligators)

This is how we roll...Double Stroller Hot Rod!!

Heading to the Safari...

Asleep before we pulled out of the parking lot...and yes, STILL wearing her sunglasses!!

Cousin Harper

Uncle Tyler, Aunt Carrie and Cousin Harper were in town last weekend. We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving and it was so great to seem them all! Harper is 9 months old while Everett is 6 months and Isla is almost 2 years old. They are all growing up so fast...we just wish we could see them more!! It was so fun to have all the Erb Grandkids together for the weekend including Reece, Brandon, Tahana, and Jocey!

E and Isla with Aunt Carrie, Uncle Tyler and Harper

Fun with Uncle Tyler

E with Uncle Tyler and Uncle Rhett

Everett (6 months) and Harper (9 months)

Loves from Aunt Carrie

Kiss'n Cousins...Harper and Isla

6 months old ALREADY!!

Our 21 pounds of absolute cuteness!!

By six months old Everett is rolling over, sitting up, and eating baby foods.  His personality is coming out more and more everyday.  He is always smiling or giggling.

He loves his big sister. He doesn't take his eyes off of her when she is in the room. He gives her the biggest smiles and giggles. When he gets fussy (which is usually when he is hungry) she is just about the only thing that can hold him off until I can get him fed. She talks and smiles at him and he is memorized. The only other thing that can capture is attention as much as Isla, is his favorite show, Blue's Clues. He loves it :)

We have ventured into the world of food for Everett. He seems to like it, however he likes to use the rubber end of the spoon for teething more than for eating. He still doesn't take a bottle very well, and even with the solid foods he still prefers to eat from Mommy. I absolutely love nursing and bonding with him, however, it is much more difficult this time around as I am having to keep up with a 2 year old.  I hope to keep the solid foods and nurse until at least his first birthday (which at the rate he is growing it will look like I'm nursing a 5 year old)!

Sitting up

Happy Baby!

Yummy Peas!!

Pool Days

We can't get enough of the pool!! Brandon gets home from work around 4 and by 4:30pm we are at the pool. Isla loves the beach and pool and Everett just got in the water for the first time this week and enjoyed it just as much. The weather has been great for laying out but the water has been a little chilly...it hasn't ever stopped Isla from charging in, but up until now, Everett enjoyed his walker on the pool deck. Now that they are both in the water we are having a blast. I love having water babies :)

"Hoppy" Easter

Easter in Sarasota...
We went down to Sarasota to spend Easter with family. Isla participated in a couple different egg hunts (one at church, a friend's, and our family) throughout the weekend. She loved them all and really got into it, especially when she discovered the jelly beans inside of them. Some eggs had JB's and other's didn't, so she would pick up an egg and shake it...if it made noise she would dig into the candy, if not she put it in her bucket and moved on to the next egg. This became serious business for her :)

Coloring Easter Eggs

EASTER EGG HUNT

On Sunday we went to Church and then had an Easter Egg Hunt at Grammie and Poppy's for the kids.  Isla looked for pink eggs (as they were the easiest in plain sight) and Brandon, Tahana, and Jocey looked for all the rest. The kids ran around the back yard wild looking and screaming for eggs. We then ate and hung out on the porch for a couple of hours. We played, laughed and ate plenty!! What a great day :)

C-A-T-S...CATS, CATS, CATS

KENTUCKY WILDCAT BASKETBALL
2012 National Champions

The UK basketball season opened up just three days before Everett was born...and what a season it has been!! For this to be the first year Brandon has lived outside of the state of Kentucky in over 14 years he has loved representing the Cats in Florida as they make a run at the National Championship.  He wears his UK shirts and hats with pride and stands out just about every where we go.

EVERY game the kids are sure to be dressed in their UK gear - cheering on the Cats.  Brandon taught Isla the Cats cheer..."oooooooooooo C-A-T-S, CATS, CATS, CATS!!" and Everett watches and giggles.

When March Madness approached with UK the #1 overall seed it added even more pressure but lots of fun for the weeks to come!

It has been so fun to watch the kids grow throughout the season...

UK Cheerleader (and UF Football Player) Halloween 2011

Daddy and Baby Wildcats - December 2011

Wildcat on the beach - February 2012

Wildcat Cousins - March 2012

Final Four - April 2012