Pre-K Graduation and Taylor's Big Day

So we had two big celebrations in the Curtis family the last couple of weeks. The first was Natalie's graduation from Preschool. There was a little ceremony with songs and the awarding of her diploma. She's already to start Kindergarten in the fall now! Here's a picture of the graduate:

There was also a big parade at preschool on the last day that both kids were in. They decorated their own t-shirts and since it was raining the parade was inside.

The second big celebration was Taylor's 1st Birthday!!! She had two celebrations...the first was just the five of us and since we had a bout of sickness all week we stayed in and just celebrated with a candle in a twinkie and opened some presents. Then we had a family party yesterday with all of the grandparents and Uncle Brad, Aunt Sheila and Sydney too. The kids played in the pool and sprinkler and we grilled out and of course had the traditional 1st Birthday ISU Reggie Redbird cake! Taylor had a blast and it was nice to have a party that could be outside. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful family to celebrate with! Pictures of the birthday girl:

The kids also made a trip to Chicago with Aaron and his parents for the annual American Brain Tumor Association walk/run (of course I had to stay home and work..boo). Afterwards they went and looked at the Bean.

Lots of Happen's

So...we've had lots of things going on the past couple of months. Here are the highlights:

1. Went to Disney World

We packed up the van and the kiddos and took a road trip to Florida to celebrate my parent's 40th Anniversary. Now that we are home it is easy to say that the drive wasn't half bad. The kids were awesome and handled the hours upon hours in the car well. We only had one moment of emotional breakdown by the two youngest but we were stuck in traffic by Atlanta and to be honest I was almost ready to join them! Would we drive again...probably...I assume it gets easier the older they get so I think we could handle it!

Walt Disney World was one of the best vacations we've taken because of the sheer amazement that were in the kids eyes the entire time we were there. Natalie and Justin were enthralled with everything and they are still at the age where they "believe" and although Natalie was starting to ask questions she had no issues with all of the princesses and was so excited to meet all of them. We hit the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Justin was able to meet Lightning McQueen and it was the only thing that he wanted to stand in line for more then once. Taylor seemed to just enjoy being part of the action and went with the flow pretty well. We had a great time and enjoyed the trip and spending time with my family. It was fun to see the kids play, have extra set of hands to help, and just enjoy time together. Thanks mom and dad!

Here are a few pics from the trip:

2. We had Natalie's five year follow-up with her doctor in St. Louis so we left Taylor home with grandma and grandpa (thank you!!!) and took Justin and Natalie to the City Museum for the morning before her appointment. I love that place...especially without a stroller and freedom to follow the kids in and out of all of the tunnels and caves and such. Here are a few pics from that adventure:

and....Natalie's appointment went awesome and we don't have to go back until next year.

3. Justin turned 3!!!! He had a birthday party at the local fire station with fun at the park after. The weather could have cooperated a little better but at least it wasn't raining! He had such a fun time sitting in the firetrucks...it was a good day! Here are pics of the birthday boy:

Can't believe he's three!! But what a fun age right!

4. Taylor is getting big! She has finally figured out how to stand up and that's usually her focus now...find a place to crawl to and pull up to her feet and find someone to look at her so she can brag. I love this age...she is happy to see me ALL the time...pretty much can entertain herself for short periods of time and is sleeping really well. Here's a cute picture of all three...which any of you with kids knows...this is the best I could do trying to get all of them to look at me and be happy :):

As for Aaron and myself. We are surviving. I'm still in training at State Farm and counting the days until I get to my regular schedule (I think Aaron is counting down too). Aaron is working hard in our yard trying to get his landscaping projects done. He is also still playing in the volleyball league and we are just trying to find enough time in the week to see each other! All in all...it's been a good couple of months for the Curtis household.

We are still here

Ok...so I've been slacking on the website...sorry!

So let me bring everyone up to speed since our last post. We had a wonderful Christmas. We went to Seattle with Aaron's family and had lots of fun seeing the sights and spending time with our niece and nephews! It's been quite awhile since we had all of Aaron's family together so it was nice to have some time catching up and celebrating the holidays. The kids did awesome on the airplane ride and we made it there and back with few problems. Then we had a trip up to Fulton to spend time with my family. There was lots of snow so the kids (and adults) had lots of fun in the snow. We had a big sleepover with the kids in their sleeping bags and it was fun to have some good quality time with everyone and not feeling so rushed. It was a great holiday!

Here's some cute snow pictures:

So that takes us into January and we had a few birthdays to celebrate. Aaron had his birthday first...and the kids had fun making and decorating his cake. Then it was on to Natalie's 5th birthday. She went to see the Mamma Mia play with Grandma and Grandpa Curtis, and LOVED it! We also celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa Pickens, Uncle Brad, Aunt Sheila, and Sydney with cupcakes and presents! For her friend party she decided she wanted a Barbie Tea Party and invited six girls over to our house. It was so much fun. Aaron took Justin and Taylor to our church's movie night so they wouldn't interfere with the party and I had some friends helping me with the girls. We had tea, crafts, games, and a large amount of shrieking :) but I think it was a good time had by all. Here are some birthday pictures:

Taylor is 8 months now and is sitting up pretty much by herself. She is starting to talk, clap, and wave good-bye. She such a sweetie....here's a video of her talking...Aaron thinks I'm stretching the fact that she says dada...but I'll let you decide...

As for Justin....he's the typical 2 year old...he either is the sweetest little guy on earth or he's throwing something at you. He's talking a mile a minute and loves his sisters...here's a picture of him pre-cupcake...

Well...that wraps up the last few months in the Curtis household...hopefully I'll do better updating this!!!

Taylor's Baptism

Today we had Taylor baptized at our church. It was a perfect day and such a blessing to see her welcomed into our church family. I love baptisms and what they represent. I know that Taylor has no idea what went on today but it will be our responsibility to teach her what it means and how to live a good Christian life. We are lucky because we have such a wonderful support system of family and friends to support us on this journey. Taylor was baptized in the same gown that Natalie wore. My mom sewed a baptism gown from my grandma's wedding dress. Taylor looked just as beautiful in it as Natalie did four years ago! Here's a picture of all five us:

So today made me sentimental so I thought I would post pictures from the baptisms of our other two...it's fun to see how everyone has changed!

An amazing day with wonderful family and perfect weather. Amen.

Long Time No Post

It's been a busy couple of months since our last post. The biggest thing is that we moved into a new house and that in itself was a big under taking with three little ones in tow. We are still getting settled but we've made really good progress. Our old house sold in one day which was a mixed blessing because we only had to get the house ready for viewing once but then we were scrambling to find a new place. The kids love the new house as they each have their own room. I should say that Natalie is thrilled that she can have a place that Justin can't get into. Justin on the other hand is struggling a bit being by himself. He tends to wake up REALLY early and has become a fixture in our bed. Taylor has her own set of sleep issues and who knows if it has anything to do with the move.

We celebrated Halloween a few different times. Natalie and Justin had their Halloween Parade at their preschool. They make their own costumes so Natalie was a Fire Chief and Justin was a Little Pumpkin. We hit the church party and the kids had fun with crafts and games. Then it was the official Trick-or-Treating in the new neighborhood. Natalie was Belle, Justin was a cowboy and Taylor was a ladybug. Here are some Halloween pictures:

Here are a few cute and random pictures of the kiddos:

Can you tell they are all related?

I don't know why this cracks me up...but it does.

Natalie won.

Now that we are settled we will try to keep this updated a little better. Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!

Summer Fun Part 2

So we wrapped up the summer with a trip to Fulton to see Grandma and Grandpa Pickens, some swimming, some ISU fun, a campout with Grandma and Grandpa Curtis, and an appearance in the Herscher Labor Day Parade. We are sad that the summer is officially over.

School started this week for both Natalie and Justin...and now that we have to be somewhere by 9am every morning...the Curtis family is feeling the hurt of getting up early :)! It'll be nice once we officially get back into a routine...but oh how I miss those lazy summer mornings!

Here are some pictures of the kiddos....

Summer Fun Curtis Style

So....I thought I would put a quick slide show together of pictures of things we've been doing this summer so far. Our fun happen's include pool time, our church carnival of sorts, time with our extended family, the Fun Run, trip to Ropp Farm, blueberry pick'n, spray park fun, Children's Museum, the local fair, and so on. Enjoy!