Two years apart, on the button

So Stella and Yates are still being so good. I catch myself watching them and smiling so hard, I think surely I look crazy. I must say, its a good thing that they have been being so good because we have another baby on the way. It was a big surprise and sooner than we had planned to add baby #3, but it will be fine. Thats just what I keep telling myself... over and over and over. No, we are excited and will be welcoming baby 3 right around Yates' 2nd birthday. Poor Yates had a super lame birthday last year and this year, who knows what condition we'll be in. AND after his birthday we will have a 3 year old, a 2 year old and a newborn. I'll probably just need to have a Mi Cocina IV permanently implanted in my arm. I'm sure I won't have time to eat or cook. If anyone has any advice for debilitating exhaustion, I'm all ears. I have that early pregnancy narcolepsy, and constant feeling of, "OMG, I can't believe I have to turn the steering wheel of the car again, I'm too tired to move my arms this much." My poor family probably thinks I am a real live slug with legs.

Milam, Stella and Yates at the Ice Cream Party

Yates was really into posing for the camera at the party...

Pink and Bop got S and Y these fabulously horrendous little sofas. They adore these things.

In the last few weeks we celebrated Stella's 3rd birthday in true Meredith style. It was like a 5 day birthday bonanza. She had a great time and deserves every bit of it because she is so good, sweet, perfect to us!

Stella decorating her arms up Barbie cake while Gigi, Gabby and Bop supervise. All she was worried about for her entire birthday was the decorating. Thats my girl!

Stella has decided to swim alone with floaties. Huge deal! She also jumped of the diving board. Of course Yates wasn't going to be outdone so he jumped off of the diving board too. He is hilarious. Yesterday he slid down that huge 3 story slide all by himself at Pump It Up. Michael was in charge and just let him go. I don't think it would have even occurred to me to let the 16 month old slide down a massive adult slide alone, but he did and he looooooved it!

Have you ever seen a more beautiful ballerina?

SJ, prissing right there in the middle of course.

We have begun ballet lessons. Stella attended a ballet recital in Palestine and has been utterly obsessed with ballet and ballerinas ever since. She is now a real ballerina in training, just ask her. Most days you'll find her decked out in no less than 2 tutus, 3 on a good day. You'll also notice that her has has to be up in a bun like a ballerina every single day. People probably think thats the best we can do, but really, its the only way right now... Her first day at ballet was the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life and I cried about 6 times. Little Yates wants to join the girls in ballet sooooo badly. I can't imagine how boring and crazy it is to him that he can't go in there with the girls.

Happy Little Yates ready for bed.

This morning daddy had breakfast in bed and Yates learned a new word. "Syoooo-da-do"... Screwdriver, obviously. We ended our Father's Day with some family golf in the back yard. I hope Gabby approves : )

Yates and "Daddo" working on the swing

She looks like she might know what she's doing, if she could get that club facing the right direction.

I would like to start by saying how amazing my babies have been for weeks!!!  I don't even get it.  Its like a switch flipped and now they're angels.  They let me do things, like shower and its is hilarious.  They sit on the rug on the bathroom while I shower, sitting side by side and play, or S will read to Y.  Today we went to run a few errands and they held hands as we walked way across a parking lot.  It probably sounds ridiculous for that to be a big deal, but it is.  Its huge.  Usually Y yells anytime S touches him b/c she is always rearranging whatever it is he is trying to do and usually if she tries to hold onto him, he'll just bite her.  Those probably aren't the best examples but the first ones to come to mind.  

Stella is turning 3 in 3 days.  It doesn't seem like she should be 3, but she acts like she's 13 so its not that shocking really.  She is obsessed with being a ballerina and I am thrilled.  I would love for her to be a ballerina.  She starts her first class on Tuesday, so we'll see how it goes.  She's not the best at going with the flow in a group.  Maybe this will help.  S is so helpful and thoughtful and sweet these days.  She surprises me with something new every day.

Yates is getting so big.  He is so sweet and is the hugest extrovert I have ever known in my entire life.  He could be super fussy, but take him around some people and he turns it on.  He flirts so hard with people he gets totally locked up and forgets to function.  He is learning lots of words and the ones he chooses are pretty funny.  Yesterday he was trying to hit S in the head with one of those noisy popcorn popper push toys.  I was blocking her head while she was concentrating on a Carebears movie and trying to not make a big deal out of him taking whacks at her head.  I thought he would see that it wasn't going to work and forget it.  He wouldn't give up so I told him to stop and that he isn't allowed to hit.  He pursed his lips and said, "Toy, not nice."  I had to laugh.  Y is really funny about his clothes.  During the day sometimes he'll walk up to me and ask me to remove some random article of clothing for him.  So lots of days he is running around with say a shirt and one shoe or a diaper and two shoes or some play jewelry and shorts.  He is fu-nny.

We have been so busy, here a few highlights:

Mini Vacation to Suzie's house

Yatsie-poo having so much fun with the water gun.

painting outside.  this lasted all of about 3 minutes...

screaming in the closet... why not?

pre-game cheers for Daddy's soccer team

playing in the goofy baby pool

Memorial Day Symphony and Fireworks.  So much fun.

Dance Party complete with "ballerina skirt," high heels, hello kitty band-aid, rings on every finger and classical music.