Independence at a Young Age

Braid has recently entered this highly independent stage in which she wants to do everything by herself.  She wants to pick out her own clothes (very opinionated; will only wear dresses most of the time), she wants to shower by herself, and she wants to go the bathroom by herself. The latter of the three is where today got a little interesting. She picked out a pink silky dress and her pink jelly shoes to go to the grocery store. A little dressed up but better than the first alternative which was an Easter dress. Before leaving the house to get the store she had to go the bathroom and insisted on being allowed to go by herself. I'm trying to get out the door so I allow it, and it was only number one so surely not too much harm can be done; one would assume. We get loaded in the car and off to the store we go. As we are walking into the store, we are all excited to see that the one shopping cart shaped like a car with the two steering wheels is available. This is a rare occasion in which I am always very thankful. As I am lifting Braid into the cart, I notice she seems a little bare and to my surprise she is not wearing any panties. There is no returning home at this point so we carry on. I purposely did not buckle her in so that maybe the dress would keep too many parts from touching and maybe the dress wouldn't ride up. As we are doing our grocery shopping, I forget about the missing panties. The shopping is going wonderful with both of the girls occupied with driving the cart. We get to check out and I have too many bags to fit back in the cart so the sweet bagger boy helps carry out some of my groceries. We load the car while the girls are still sitting in the cart. The boy then waits to take the cart back and this is when I realize Braid has buckled herself; I panic a little as I am trying to get it undone and not reveal that my daughter is not wearing panties. I finally get her unbuckled after a few sweating moments and then lift her up to put her in the car. It's a little breezy and as I am trying to keep the silky thin dress down... I fail and it flies up over her head bearing her bare bum to the poor bagger boy. The few seconds that it took me to get the dress back down felt like 5 minutes. The poor boy was so stunned that he couldn't move those few seconds. He then proceeded to race back to the store without a word. I was so embarrassed but couldn't stop laughing at the thought of that boys face. I've been laughing all day about it and thought you all might enjoy a laugh as well. I'm sure Braid will be appreciative of this story when she is in her teens.

Oh Braid, How I love you so...

Kate Turns One!

Our little baby just turned one and has become a little girl all of the sudden. She started walking this past week, started saying a few more words and has a personality to match a one year old. To say that she is a goof-ball doesn't even begin to describe her or capture her entire personality. She is hilarious and she knows it.

• Her new thing is to make a frowny face at you and then smile or not depending on her mood. 
• She has become quite the little sneaky one. She has also encouraged Braid to get in on the fun... like putting half a toilet paper roll in the toilet or pressing the keys on my printer/fax. 
• She loves the phone and to press buttons on it. It is only an acceptable toy if it is the real thing and has the battery in it. 
• She loves to ham it up for pictures. 
• She likes to wrestle with her sister until one of them usually gets hurt (not always Kate). She can pull a chunk of hair faster and harder than imaginable. 
• She has become somewhat of a picky eater but still does pretty good. 
• We have allowed her to keep her pacifier and bottle so far. She probably wouldn't care if we took the bottle away but the pacifier is another story. We are giving her an extension until she is 15-16 months and then it will have to be taken away. This will not be a fun week or two for any of us. 
• She loves to play outside and do anything her sister is doing. 
• She no longer is considered sensitive and has really become quite the bully. She likes to hit anything and anyone. We are working on being gentle. Braid went through this phase as well. 
• But on the other side, she is a cuddle bug through and through. She loves to give kisses and hugs. They are the sweetest ever. I can't get enough of them. 
• She loves, loves to climb on things including step stools, chairs, couches, etc. 

We threw her a little birthday party with a few friends. Funny how things change between your first and second. We got her a ball from Walmart for her birthday and made her a lollipop cake. She loved it and so did we.

She also got a little cake at Bryn's wedding reception and everyone sang her happy birthday. It was really sweet. I don't have any pictures from the wedding but can't wait to see them.

We love you baby girl and are so excited to see what this next year brings, although we wish we could freeze this time in our lives to just soak up your little personality. You have been a sweet addition to our little family and we wouldn't trade you for the world. Thanks for being you and filling our lives with love and joy.

- Daddy, Momma and Braid

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.