Our Fun Travels

The last few months have been a little crazy around here but a lot of fun. So prepare yourself for a lot of photos and a few paragraphs about our adventures.

Visiting Nana in Atlanta/Going to Nana's cabin to see Mammaw and Pawpaw! 

Right after Thanksgiving, we got a special treat. We got to go visit Nana! We always have a wonderful time getting to see Nana and all the fun adventures of the big city but this year was extra special. We got to go up to Nana's cabin in the mountains a few hours north of Atlanta and meet up with Mammaw, Pawpaw, Robert and Angela. This was Kate's first time to get to meet them all. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather or better company. Braid and Kate loved them all. We went for hikes, saw turkeys and deer, and had great meals. 

We then headed back to Decatur for some fun adventures to the Aquarium, the Varsity, and the library. Both of the girls loved the Aquarium. We got to see a dolphin show, touch stingrays and see lots of amazing animals and fish. This is an amazing place to visit for all ages. I couldn't believe how much Kate enjoyed it all and Braid was the perfect age to really enjoy it all. I can see us visiting again when they are older as well. 

Now for our adventure to Brighton, England to visit Uncle Tyson, Aunt Cath and Cousin Vince. We had a great time. I'm going to just post pictures for now and maybe write later.

To conclude here are a few things about the girls.

Braid...

• Weighs 31 lbs and is 36 inches tall.
• Loves to talk and makes everyday an adventure. She has quite the imagination.
• Loves to play with her baby dolls, pink bear, and kitchen.
• Curious George is her favorite thing to watch on T.T. (T.V.)
• Loves and adores Kate. They play together very well.
• Loves to help me around the house.
• Loves to run and she is really fast and can go a long distance.
• Wants to marry her Daddy.
• Sweet but very opinionated these days.
• A night owl but becoming a better morning person most days.
• Doesn't love breakfast and prefers to wait until 10 or so to eat anything at all. She does however ask for candy, fruit snacks and then asks for coffee when waking up every morning. Got to give it to her for not giving up after being denied these requests for the last 6 months.
• Has a new dance called I can do it all my by myself after being able to put on her own panties. It makes me laugh every time. 
• Still loves everyone and everything with all her heart. I love this girl so much.

Kate...

• Now weighs 22 lbs and is 29 inches tall.
• Can say Momma, Dada, Uh-Oh, Ball 
• Has been crawling and pulling up all over the place for a few months now.
• Has two teeth on the bottom and two big teeth on the top.
• Loves to climb on chairs or cushions and is quite the dare devil when it comes to climbing.
• Still a Momma's girl.
• Refuses to take formula so she is now on whole milk. Loves cereal bars or any bread, grapes, yogurt, sweets but also eats her veggies and fruits.
• Currently fighting taking naps in her bed.
• A cuddle bug through and through. 
• So sweet with a hint of ornery. 
• A morning person; not a night owl.
• Wakes up hungry and eats a big breakfast. 
• Loves to dance and gets super excited about it.
• Has a huge heart and the sweetest personality ever.
• Loves Braid and wants to do everything she does. They are the best of buds. I love when they hug each other which is every day but still gets me.
• She makes my heart melt and I can't get enough of her.

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.

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.