The Malone Family: 18 MONTHS

ONE-AND-A-HALF!!! Wow...We have a couple of toddlers:) It really is amazing how life NEVER slows down, and I have a feeling that it's only going to fly by even quicker from now on. The kids have had a really fun summer. Swimming, play-dates, bike rides, pic-nics, field trips, AND our first family vacation!

At the end of May, the ENTIRE family went to Galveston, TX for a week. 23 people - 11 kids & 12 adults... plus a few others who came in for Kyle's sister's wedding. We chose NOT to fly, so we loaded up the truck and a trailer and made our way down south. We stopped at Lake Texoma for the weekend, and stopped in Dallas on Memorial Day to see some friends. Then headed on to Galveston. The kids really did great in the car, and had a blast at the beach. We celebrated our 8th anniversary while we were there, and Kyle's sister, Kasey, got married there as well. It was a really fun, chaotic, and crazy trip. (Pictures below) However, the 8-hour drive home (with only 2 quick stops) was less than enjoyable! Owen was cutting teeth and had a fever, so he did NOT want to sleep longer than 30 minutes at a time. So, after sitting in the back between the kids for most of the trip (trying to feed & comfort some fussy babies), mom was about to pull her hair out by the time we FINALLY made it home...
But overall - our first family vacation was a success!

Lake Texoma over Memorial Weekend

Cheering on the Thunder over Memorial weekend

Galveston...

Grandmere' & Harper

He doesn't go too many places without the golf club

Wonderful Anniversary Dinner!

Harper LOVED the shark cage...
Probably because she's the only one tiny enough to squeeze through the bars

Harper with PaPa

Owen decided he really likes blondes!
Tegan's friend was much more interesting than the stone crab

4th of July...
We had a great 4th! Swam at Grandmere' and Grandpa's pool then hung out at Belmar Golf Club that afternoon and evening with O and Papa. Barbecue dinner, putting contest, music & a lot of fun. However, for the second year in a row--we missed the fireworks :(
The kiddos bedtime trumped the firework show - again. Maybe next year...

Some other new tricks....

The kids have figured out how to undress themselves, and Harper particularly likes to practice this. They LOVE to be naked!!! We've found them many times in their cribs--in nothing but their birthday suits! Harper's response..."uh-oh!"while she holds up her clothes.

So we've recently started putting her diapers on backwards. Maybe soon... duct-tape!!! :-0

Going upstairs and downstairs is an easy task now - but never seems to get old! Owen plays it safe, by turning around and scooting downstairs. But "little miss daredevil" tries to literally walk downstairs!" The child has ZERO fear!

Owen has a passion for cleaning! Well..I should say he has a passion for the vacuum, broom, mop, etc.

And he does NOT want any help! He could be entertained with the central-vac for hours! Let's hope this interest sticks for a few more years. Hehe!

Harper taking out the diaper genie.. yuk

Helping JC clean the boat..gotta earn our keep:)

Power tools just MIGHT be better than cleaning tools

Harper recently got a little virus, but somehow Owen managed to stay well. In their 18-months of life, I believe we've only battled 3 small viruses between the 2 kids--not bad!!!

We still have our AMAZING nanny, Kristen, who comes to the house 4 days per week. And the kiddos love her! But, they definitely look forward to every Friday - spoiled rotten time with Papa and O! Each Friday, my parents have an "adventure" planned, which usually includes some sort of shopping. A few of the most recent purchases include a playhouse and a mini-bounce house! You can imagine how much fun the kids have every Friday. They also get to spend a lot of time with Grandmere' and Grandpa - swimming, shopping, and going on lots of adventures as well.

We're very blessed to have so many wonderful people in the kids lives - to surround them with lots of love:)

Here are some pictures of the past couple of months...