A Long Overdue Get-Together!

This weekend Colten finally met Steph, Artie, Avery and Spencer! The Belschner clan made a stop in Campbell on their way back to Fort Wayne, and we couldn't have been happier to have them!! The visit went by so quickly, but we loved every second of it; in fact, unless I'm mistaken, I don't think that we had seen each other in almost a year - since Amy's wedding. Wow - that was too long...But we made up for lost time and the kids had so much fun together. Of course the only thing that would have made it perfect would have been if Beth and Dave were in town too. But don't worry Beth, Steph and I were already trying to coordinate our trip to South Carolina this summer...Ready or not, here we come : >
We spent the day just hanging out at home, chatting, and watching the kids play. Avery is so beautiful and such a talker too : > We even got to see Avery bust a move to one of her favorite singers on the Disney Channel! And Spencer, what can I say about Spencer? He is so precious and such a great baby; we are so happy that we were able to finally meet him! I don't think that I heard him cry one time all weekend. And I loved getting a chance to feed him too. When he looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes, my heart smiled. And I have no doubt that he will be rolling over any day now; he is so determined.
Of course, we also watched the ND game; Tom and Artie wouldn't miss it for anything. Luckily dinner timed out just right and we were able to eat during half-time. My parents came over (and actually brought dinner - yummy kabobs, salad, cheesy potatoes - thanks so much; it was delicious!) and we all ate and celebrated Avery's 2nd birthday a bit early with an ice cream cake from the DQ (Beth, we totally thought of you!) Dinner sure was entertaining too. Colten "talked" the whole time, Spencer played in his bouncy chair and "talked" to his bunny, and we even got to witness on of Avery's tantrums. I was beginning to think Steph was exaggerating because we had never seen an unpleasant side of Avery, but after being woken up from her nap, Avery was not a happy girl. As my mom and dad said, she really has a set of lungs on her : > Steph and Artie both do an amazing job with Avery and Spencer though. And in a few years, I'm sure that I will be calling on Steph for advice when Colten throws a fit. So I hope you have it figured out by then, Steph; I'm counting on you : >
I have to admit that I was a bit worried about how the night would go, but everything turned out better than I could have ever imagined. I knew that Avery and Spencer are good sleepers, but Colten is another story and I was really worried that his crying would wake up Avery and Spencer. But my little boy made me so proud. He fell asleep so easily despite the cheering for ND and he slept until 5:30 am. But it doesn't end there. He played in his crib for about an hour, turning the camera so that I could no longer see him, and then he went back to sleep until after 7am! I love Colten so much!

With everyone well rested and fed, the kids played a bit more and we snapped pictures incessantly until the Belschner's pulled out just after 9am...At least we somewhat have a plan for our next get-together. Onward to South Carolina!

By the way Steph, I'll get the pictures to you; just give me a little time; I'm lucky I got my blog updated today : >

Avery blowing out her candles

Colten and Spencer - checking each other out

The Boys!

A group photo - finally everyone is looking!

Colten seems interested in Avery's sippy cup; maybe it's time we try one too!

I love this photo of Spencer!


Playtime!