Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Yeah for Fall!

Fall is my favorite season; although in New Mexico we don't exactly get to see the true sense of fall. We don't have a lot of trees to see the leaves change color, but we do get to go apple picking in beautiful orchards, the weather is divine, and the crops are getting harvested. The girls and I could spend all day outside in the Fall weather which is a good thing since we have recently acquired a new family member. This past week we decided to get a puppy; not just any puppy, a Great Dane puppy. You may be wondering what we were thinking and some days I am wondering the same thing. Sarge is his name and he is now 8 weeks old. Braid now has a new best friend and is in love (most of the time). Sarge is pretty big already and very strong. He is full of energy and fearless; this sometimes means that Braid may get knocked down to the ground. Most of the time she thinks it is funny and just wrestles with him on the ground unless she is feeling  sensitive or tired at the time, then she can get a little angry at him. We can all get a little angry at Sarge at times but for the most part we are really enjoying him. Every day seems to get better. Kate does not like him that much but he is starting to grow on her. Thankfully he seems to be smart and catching on to what he is allowed to do and what he is not allowed to do around here. He can already go on a half mile walk with us and probably could go farther but I'm afraid to push it for fear that I will end up having to carry him.

Kate Update




Kate recently had her 6 month check-up. She weighed in at 20 lbs 3 oz and was 28 inches long (both the 97%). She is in size 4 diapers and on the verge of moving to size 5. She wears 12-18 month clothes. I can't get a shoe on this girl because her feet are too chubby. Her hair is really starting to come in and get thick. She has the best personality. She is a complete goof ball and gives the best smiles. She is a complete cuddle bug. For the most part she is happy and content. She can cry tears at the drop of a hat but they are typically only seen if she gets hurt (very low pain tolerance, opposite of Braid), she gets scared, she's hungry or tired. She's my little morning person. I enjoy this because I am a morning person whereas Braid and Bo are not. Kate likes to go to bed early (me too). She loves to play with baby dolls and she has always been fascinated with the tags on anything. She can play with the tag on something forever. She has one little tooth on the bottom now and really enjoys getting to eat baby food, puffs, and a few samples of what we are eating every now and then if it does not require chewing. She is getting really close to crawling and really wants to be able to crawl. She gets up on hands and knees and rocks. She can go backwards but not forwards. She is a pro at the walker and can go wherever she pleases as long as it is on the hardwood floor. Braid loves for her to come to her bedroom door and then Braid will bring her toys or read her a book. Kate adores Braid and Braid adores Kate. They play really well together except when Kate pulls Braids hair which is done at every opportunity. Unfortunately, Kate has the worst allergies ever. She has been taking allergy medicine everyday for a while now but I am hoping with winter approaching this will not have to continue. I hate this for her especially considering where we live. I'm sure the next post will have a picture of our crawling little baby (not sure if I am ready for this). She is growing up way too fast.









Sarge




Braid

Braid is all little girl these days; no more baby chub (tear). I have been so proud of her. She is the best big sister and quite the little helper. Lately on her favorite to-do list is: playing baby dolls, reading books, playing with her puppy, riding the tractor with Daddy, going to the library and going for walks. She also enjoys any opportunity to go to town or go to a friends house. She loves to stay up late and watch "tt" (tv) with Daddy. She loves to watch Curious George, Sleeping Beauty or anything animated really. She calls anything animated "Braid's tt." She also loves to help cook or bake. She will sample anything and says "I probably like it." She does like most things. She still loves sweets and asks for candy for breakfast almost every morning (she knows the answer is no but refuses to give up). She would still prefer to wear no clothes if given the choice. Potty training is still a work in progress. I never dreamed it would take this long or be this hard. She does great if we are home and it is just us. If we go anywhere or someone comes over, it is an iffy situation. She tries to hold it as long as possible and refuses to go if she doesn't absolutely have to go (my Mom says that I deserve this).







One more thing... I got a hair cut if you hadn't noticed already. I haven't cut my hair above my shoulders since I was two so this was major.






Monday, September 3, 2012

The Ring is Phoning

   One morning as we are getting ready, Braid is in the kitchen eating her breakfast when her Daddy's phone starts to ring. She is the only one in the room so she yells, "The ring is phoning! The ring is phoning! Daddy get your phone!" She runs to get it and answers "hello" as it rings for the last time. She takes it to Bo and says "Awwww, the phone no ring anymore Daddy" It was just too cute. She talks really well now but every now and again she gets too excited and mixes her words. I love these moments. She has just been growing up too quickly. I feel like this last week or two she has really become a little girl. She has slimmed up and lost all of her baby chub. She has also become a huge help around the house, although she's had a few 2 year old moments of stubbornness and attitude. She bit Kate twice in one day; hopefully this is not a reoccurring event. They weren't horrible but it was still biting; poor Kate.
     Bo and I got to go out for the first time in a really long time. We had a wonderful time with our friends Mark and Kelsi at the Aaron Watson Concert here in Clovis. Aaron has also been a long time friend and he got to come over for the afternoon. Braid fell in love with Aaron and was almost in tears when he had to leave. Aaron went and drove the tractor with Bo for a while and I think they both had a great time. While Bo and I really enjoyed the concert and had a wonderful time, Kate was not too thrilled with it all. I put her to bed before we left and was hoping she wouldn't wake up while my mom came to watch the girls for us. Unfortunately for her, Kate decided to wake up 5 minutes after we left and cry for the next hour. Thankfully, my mom stuck it out and got her back to sleep. Thank You. We had a wonderful time.
     Kate got to have her first horse ride the other day. She wasn't as thrilled about it as you might think but she didn't hate it either. Braid also got to ride and loved it.







Braid enjoying one of her favorite things of the summer, picking and eating apples out behind the house.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Sweet Summer


I can't believe we are approaching the end of summer already, or I am at least hoping that cooler weather is in our near future. These last few weeks have been pretty hot around here. The girls and I have been doing a lot of lounging around to cool off. Get ready for a picture overload. I had a lot of catching up to do so I tried to be brief.  
 The girls have also enjoyed the occasional tea party, especially Braid.
 Kate also enjoyed her first taste of rice cereal. Braid really enjoyed feeding it to her.

 Well, maybe she wasn't as enthusiastic about it as we had hoped but it was still fun.
 We have had a lot of fun at Bo's softball games. Braid and Natalie are the best of friends and had a great time laughing at one another and cheering the team on from the stands.

 I just love these girls. They are so sweet and a joy to be around.
 For a week or so Braid wanted to take her naps in the funniest places. I spy Braid.
 Braid has had fun with kittens but we haven't had the best of luck in keeping them around.
 My little Cinderella working away. She has a true fear of the vacuum cleaner unless she is able to use the hose.
 My sweet baby girl is getting too big already. We are loving every stage but it is going by too quickly.
 This is where both girls spend the first 10-15 minutes of the day. Braid takes a little longer to wake up than Kate.
 Another unusual napping place.

Braid has really enjoyed getting to help her Daddy this summer. 


 This is Kate's 5 month old picture. Isn't she a doll.
Here is a picture of me at 5 1/2 months. I have to say that I think she looks like me.


Kate is sitting up and oh so proud of herself. She has always been very attentive and watched everything very closely. Now that she is sitting up, she is able to see so much more and enjoy playing with her sister.
 We just recently got to visit some dear friends in Abilene, Texas and attend Westgate's 50th anniversary. We had a wonderful time staying with our friends the MacDonald's. They own a store called Biketown; below is Reese and Braid. They became the best of friends and were two peas in a pod.
 Braid also loved Paige. Both Reese and Paige were wonderful with Braid. We would take them home with us if we could. Kate fell in love with Paige. Paige was wonderful with her and made her smile all the time.

 Visiting the MacDonald's out at their new place; we can't wait to come back and visit when it is finished.
 These are the flower girl dresses that Paige and Reese wore in our wedding. They are passing them down to my girls. I can't wait for Braid and Kate to wear them. My Mom made them so they are extra special to me as well.
 Braid and I enjoying some milk shakes on a hot afternoon.

 I just thought this photo of Kate was precious and this is the face I get to see most of the day. She can now move the walker to the front and back. She is very proud of her accomplishment.