Monday, June 24, 2013
Fishing
Today Big Sister went fishing with Daddy and Papa Jack. The adventure started with the worm gathering. Big Sister had a blast scooping up the worms and dropping them in her bucket. She might love to dress up and wear all things pink and sparkly, but she likes to play in the dirt and mud too ;) They only caught one fish, so they're planning to go back another time in the early morning or late afternoon to see if they can catch some more.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Party at Grams' House!
A few weeks ago we celebrated my nephew's birthday at Grams at Papa's house. It was a fun day full of swimming, playing basketball, riding bikes and eating cupcakes (or pupcakes as Big Sister still calls them). Big Sister enjoyed spending time with all 3 of her cousins :)
Big Sister giving her card to the birthday boy
Happy Birthday!
Father's Day
Big Sister is usually TERRIBLE at keeping secrets. If we tell her something is a surprise, the surprise is usually the first thing she blurts out when she next sees the person the surprise is for. She loves picking out gifts for others and usually can't wait to show someone what she's gotten for them. But, it seems that maybe, just maybe she's getting better at keeping secrets. Among other things, we got John a light up frisbee for Father's Day. His sister has one, and he thought it was cool, so Big Sister and I decided to get one for him. Big Sister was pretty excited about it, but played it cool and never even tried to hint at what the gift was. She was so excited when he opened it though - she couldn't wait to tell Daddy all about it!
We went to the Montgomery Zoo with my parents and Jamie (what better way to celebrate Father's Day than with all the animals?!), and then we had lunch at Cuco's, which is my Dad's favorite Mexican restaurant. They used to have one in Birmingham, near where we went to church when I was growing up, but it's closed and the closest one to us now is in Montgomery, so we don't get to go very often (I haven't been in years). It was a yummy way to celebrate!
After we got home, we enjoyed a bit of pool time, then John and Big Sister went over to his parents house for a bit to visit with Papa Jack and Grandpa Dudley, while Little Bud was napping. We're planning to have a belated Father's Day dinner with Grammie and Papa later this week. It's hard to fit all of the celebrating into one day :)
We went to the Montgomery Zoo with my parents and Jamie (what better way to celebrate Father's Day than with all the animals?!), and then we had lunch at Cuco's, which is my Dad's favorite Mexican restaurant. They used to have one in Birmingham, near where we went to church when I was growing up, but it's closed and the closest one to us now is in Montgomery, so we don't get to go very often (I haven't been in years). It was a yummy way to celebrate!
After we got home, we enjoyed a bit of pool time, then John and Big Sister went over to his parents house for a bit to visit with Papa Jack and Grandpa Dudley, while Little Bud was napping. We're planning to have a belated Father's Day dinner with Grammie and Papa later this week. It's hard to fit all of the celebrating into one day :)
sloth bear
sky lift!
both littles had a great time feeding the birds with Grams :)
Little Bud enjoyed "petting the birds"
he would touch it, and then pull back and laugh and then fuss.
It seemed that he wasn't quite sure if he liked touching them or not.
Big Sister wanted this bird to fly up onto her stick. She showed him what
was on it, then lifted it up and flapped her arms to show him what to do.
The bird did not obey very well!
feeding the giraffes!
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| finding her own "words" in the word search :) |
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Check Ups
On Friday, I took both littles in for check ups at the doctors office. Big Sister had her 4 year check up (a bit delayed because of our hectic schedule) and Little Bud had his 15 month check up. They're both healthy and meeting all of their milestones!
Here are their stats from the appointment:
Big Sister
Height: 3 ft., 3 in. (30th percentile)
Weight: 33 lbs. (50th percentile)
She was happy to show off all of her "skills" to our pediatrician. She demonstrated how she can balance AND jump on one foot, she counted to 20 (she can count to 30, but the doctor went on to ask her other questions when she paused at 20), and proudly told her that she dresses herself in the mornings and helps around the house (I guess independence is a 4 year old "milestone", and Big Sister definitely has that one handled!).
Little Bud
Height: 29 1/2 in. (3rd percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs, 6 oz. (3rd percentile)
Head Circum.: 45 1/2 cm. (15th percentile)
He just cut all FOUR of his molars at one time, taking his tooth count up to 12. He's wearing size 4 diapers, size 3 shoes and 9 to 12 month clothes. He is definitely small for his age, but he's growing well based on his own growth chart. He's a super happy boy who loves trucks (or anything with wheels), playing chase, dancing to music (he'll only dance and clap if he likes a particular song - his favorite band is definitely NeedtoBreath), eating and climbing (by the time I safeguard one climbing spot, he's found somewhere else to explore!). He hasn't started walking by himself yet, but he does walk behind toys and walk along furniture and walls, and he crawls with lightning speed, so I don't think he has much motivation to fine tune his balancing skills (although I'm sure his knees will be so happy when he starts walking; he'll crawls across any surface, regardless of how rough it is). Big Sister was almost 17 months when she finally learned to walk, so we're hoping that sometime in the next month or so, Little Bud will figure it out too :)
Here are their stats from the appointment:
Big Sister
Height: 3 ft., 3 in. (30th percentile)
Weight: 33 lbs. (50th percentile)
She was happy to show off all of her "skills" to our pediatrician. She demonstrated how she can balance AND jump on one foot, she counted to 20 (she can count to 30, but the doctor went on to ask her other questions when she paused at 20), and proudly told her that she dresses herself in the mornings and helps around the house (I guess independence is a 4 year old "milestone", and Big Sister definitely has that one handled!).
Little Bud
Height: 29 1/2 in. (3rd percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs, 6 oz. (3rd percentile)
Head Circum.: 45 1/2 cm. (15th percentile)
He just cut all FOUR of his molars at one time, taking his tooth count up to 12. He's wearing size 4 diapers, size 3 shoes and 9 to 12 month clothes. He is definitely small for his age, but he's growing well based on his own growth chart. He's a super happy boy who loves trucks (or anything with wheels), playing chase, dancing to music (he'll only dance and clap if he likes a particular song - his favorite band is definitely NeedtoBreath), eating and climbing (by the time I safeguard one climbing spot, he's found somewhere else to explore!). He hasn't started walking by himself yet, but he does walk behind toys and walk along furniture and walls, and he crawls with lightning speed, so I don't think he has much motivation to fine tune his balancing skills (although I'm sure his knees will be so happy when he starts walking; he'll crawls across any surface, regardless of how rough it is). Big Sister was almost 17 months when she finally learned to walk, so we're hoping that sometime in the next month or so, Little Bud will figure it out too :)
Saturday, June 15, 2013
ALA Convention
This year the Alabama Convention was at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. As a happy coincidence, the Georgia Convention was also there as well, so we were able to (briefly) visit with some of the Smith family that we don't get to see very often. I grew up attending both of these conventions with my family, so it's kind of nostalgic to me (although not always the most convenient) for us to bring our kids along with us. My parents and Jamie were a huge help with both littles, watching and playing with them while John was in meetings and I enjoyed a little spa time.
After dinner, the last night of the convention, my dad was presented with a coin by a retired Brigadier General. Officers are given their own coins to award to individuals they find deserving of them. This General has only awarded six coins and he chose to give one to my dad. (Of course, Little Bud chose this dinner to have a teething induced fit, so I missed the actual presentation.) I'm so thankful for the integrity and compassion that both of my parents raised us with. I'm also thankful for all the hard work and sacrifices that my parents, grandparents and great grandparents (and various other family members as well) have made over the years to pave the way in our family business. Congrats Dad!
After dinner, the last night of the convention, my dad was presented with a coin by a retired Brigadier General. Officers are given their own coins to award to individuals they find deserving of them. This General has only awarded six coins and he chose to give one to my dad. (Of course, Little Bud chose this dinner to have a teething induced fit, so I missed the actual presentation.) I'm so thankful for the integrity and compassion that both of my parents raised us with. I'm also thankful for all the hard work and sacrifices that my parents, grandparents and great grandparents (and various other family members as well) have made over the years to pave the way in our family business. Congrats Dad!
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| we stopped on the way to check out the Nantahala River |
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| Big Sister "won" the drawing one morning (with a little help from Papa and one of his business friends!) |
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| cruising in the stroller |
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| Daddy painted Big Sisters nails one afternoon (and even added flower stickers!) |
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| Big Sister and "Cousin S" (who is definitely one of her favorite people!) |
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| My lovely parents |
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| Big Sister dancing with my Grandpa (brought back sweet memories for me!) |
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| Big Sister and a few of the other littles were the life of the dance party! She couldn't wait for the music to start! |
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| Big Sister dancing with Little Bud. So sweet! |
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| Papa and Little Bud |
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| another picture of Big Sister and Grandpa |
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| The last night of the convention, Jamie took some pictures of our little family - I love this one of Big Sister! |
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| Big Sister and Little Bud |
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| Mommy and Little Bud |
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| sweet boy! |
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| It's almost impossible to get a family photo with these two! |
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| Dad with the Brigadier General and his wife |
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| The original inn |
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| Sunset over the spa |
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| checking out the waterfall |
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| Sleeping on the way home :) She always wants me to take her picture when she's napping in the car. |
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