LL Turns 1!

Here are some pictures from LL's first birthday party. We were thrilled to be able to celebrate at our house last weekend with family from MS and LA, including all 4 of her grandparents, her Mimi and PawPaw (great grandparents), 3 great aunts, 3 great uncles, and 2 cousins! She had a great time opening presents and eating her cake. As you can see, AG was happy to help out with those things! It was a fun day for all of us celebrating having this sweetie with us for a whole year!

Yes, we are still around! Thanks to all who have checked this blog and encouraged me to update it...it's been off the priority list for the past few weeks, but we want y'all to know we are all alive and well in south LA. We hope to be into our house within a few weeks...bear with us through yet another "settling in" phase, and maybe by mid-October we'll be somewhat back to normal as far as keeping you up on some news and photos of the girls.

AG and LL are doing well...both riding the waves of this transition fairly smoothly, though sharing a bedroom with her parents has thrown off LL's sleep pattern (and ours!). AG has reached new levels of independence... wanting to do so many things herself and repeatedly saying, "Do not help me" just in case we forget! I almost wonder if we left one child behind in TX and somehow arrived her in LA with another one! Both AG and LL were troopers through the daily grind of the house hunt and AG is looking forward to having "the movers" bring back lots of the items she misses when we get to the new house. Here are a few photos so you can see how they are growing! The one of both was taken in our front yard in Austin the week before we moved; the others here in our temporary apartment with AG keeping the stroller wheels hot and LL showing off her favorite new funny face!

Check Us Out!

We all enjoyed a recent trip to the Austin Children's Museum...AG especially liked the little grocery store area. She shopped and then took over the cashier duties, as you can see! She's gotten more and more into pretend play lately and it's always fun to see what she comes up with next. LL is officially, though unconventionally, "crawling" and can cover a good distance quickly now, even with her own unique style of keeping one leg out in front of her and kind of scooting along on her hands, bottom, and other leg. She's also discovered AG's baby dolls and got acquainted with one of them during AG's nap one day! And...she cut her 6th tooth yesterday!

This may be my last chance to blog until after our move...we'll post more pics and news as soon as we get settled in our new place. Love to all!

Raisins and Burgers and Peas....Oh My!

We have two little pigs at our house...two cute little blonde-haired, blue-eyed pigs. LL has gotten into "baby" food, literally, with gusto over the last few months, and now that she has three (almost four!) teeth, I imagine that it won't take her long to get into the real stuff, too. Here's a picture of her showing off her teeth after enjoying some peas. The other day AG decided to help herself to some raisins...alot of raisins. Mommy was distracted when this self-serve operation began, so I don't know how much of the mountain she had done away with before I noticed. And then she had another culinary adventure, one she certainly had to have before we left Texas...her first Whataburger! Although she seemed to think the burger was OK, she was much more impressed with the fries, and her Daddy will probably remember to get his own next time! (Notice the ketchup pool she made for her fries on top of her hamburger?) LL watched patiently from a high chair, as you can see. Maybe next time we come to Austin she can have her own burger... (PS: You've probably noticed that the photos are usually out of the order referenced in my writings...I try to get them right, but it never works, and I'm trusting that you can figure out which is which!)

Seriously Silly

AG has come down with a case of the sillies over the last few months. It's always been one of our favorite pastimes to make her laugh, but more and more it seems she is the one making us laugh. For a few weeks she's been randomly taking off her shorts and I think she thinks it's fun to run around in her diaper whether Mommy notices or not, but the other day she came bopping into the room making sure I would take note... because she had her shorts on her head! Thankfully, the camera was handy, so you can see, too. Another example of her silliness is that for a few weeks each night when I ask her what story she wants to read, she'd say "green beans." I'd kind of laugh and was thinking, "OK, maybe there's something in one of her books about green beans...one day I'll figure it out." But tonight when I asked which book, she said, "Lima beans!" It is really fun to see what she will come up with next these days.

On the Move

It's been an eventful few weeks at our house...amidst all our prep to get the house "market-ready" and starting to plan for our move to BR, LL has found time to do some serious teething (see pic for just one of many examples!), become forwardly mobile in her own unique way (hands and knees are involved from time to time, as you can see), and even work on her balance while standing. She's developing a higher level of determination every day to reach her "goals"...which may be any toy, camera, ball, or shoe she thinks is accessible...her selection has narrowed since most of our "stuff" is neatly put away as we show the house, but she's pretty motivated anyway. She has a good cheerleader in AG, although AG has taken on a new level of vigilance about her own "stuff" now that LL is able to get to it!

Road Trip!

Seems like it's been a while...since I posted, but also since we made the 500+ mile drive to visit our families in MS. We caught up on the latter over a long holiday weekend and had a wonderful time seeing all the grandparents, friends, and other family members we could squeeze in while we were there. There were lots of memorable moments on this trip. A big highlight was the celebration of 35 years of marriage of my parents, Jim and Martha, aka "PopPop and Gran." We enjoyed a special dinner with them and some of their friends and family, at which the girls made a brief appearance before their bedtimes (see picture). AG got her first "up close and personal" view of a real live turtle at their house, also, as well as seeing and hearing lots of trains, which she always enjoys. Fun was also had with "Nana and Grandpa": AG got to help pick tomatoes and squash in the garden, went to a big park with Nana and Grandpa, and went swimming twice with her Daddy...she seemed to enjoy having an audience of other family members and neighbors watch her as she kicked, blew bubbles, and jumped off the side of the pool at least 2 dozen times. She also had fun modeling some of her Nana's mother's earrings...her first time to wear "earmeens," as she likes to call them. Doesn't she look lovely? LL, who had discovered how to clap just a few days before our trip, got lots of practice by playing pat-a-cake with Nana. She also started to get the hang of eating her first finger food...sweet potato "puffs" which were worth all the effort to get them from her tray to her little fist to her mouth, as you can see in the picture. LL also got to show off her first two teeth! We returned with a little less sleep but alot more memories to cherish.

Lots to Celebrate

On Friday, LL was 8 months old...hard to believe that in just half that time we'll be celebrating her first birthday! As you can see in the picture, she enjoyed some time in the swing in our front yard...a nice shady spot which offers enough privacy for an 8 month old to skip the clothing (at least on an afternoon when the temperature was close to 100!). Saturday afternoon we went to the Dell Diamond for Trey's company party. The girls enjoyed sitting side-by-side in high chairs (one of LL's first times in one!), though AG's menu was quite a bit more interesting than LL's, and after dinner we went out to sit on the hillside and watch some baseball (the Round Rock Express were playing the New Orleans Zephyrs). Here's a picture of Trey with the girls, which brings me to the next big event of the weekend...Father's Day! All four of us send out Father's Day hugs and kisses to Trey's Dad, Bob (aka Grandpa) and my Daddy, Jim (aka PopPop) and to Trey's grandfather, PawPaw. Today we've had a good time honoring the "Daddy" in our house...the girls are showing him in their own ways how much they love him (which is nothing out of the ordinary!): AG colored a picture for him and has started showering him with "I lovou Daddy!" repeatedly, and LL flashes her dimples at him and grabs his nose and glasses with a little extra gusto! I am thankful to have such a great husband to share this parenting adventure with.

Pool Party

Last weekend found Trey chillin' in the pool with his girls, or at least two of them...as I was hanging out poolside so that all the fun could be captured on "film," and also because there just wasn't alot of wiggle room left! AG discovered she could get a good reaction from her Daddy by suddenly pouring cold water on him, and this soon progressed to a fun "waterfall" game with AG repeatedly dumping a bowl of water over Trey's head (and LL's, since at the time she was on Trey's lap). LL seemed a little tentative at first but soon got warmed up, to the water and the little rubber ducky AG shared with her. She was soon sitting up in the pool by herself and even put her whole face in the water a few times, trying to get to the colorful designs on the bottom.

A Memorable Memorial Day

We all enjoyed some fun activities over Memorial Day weekend. Monday morning we went to a local park that has a water-play area for kids, and while we waited for the water to come on AG and LL got to swing side-by-side for the first time! We waited, and waited, and...LL had fun playing on a blanket, as you can see...and AG asked, "Where's the water?" at least 100 times, and the water never started. A little disappointed but not ready to give up the idea of getting soaked, we went home and created our own water-playplace in our front yard with the sprinkler, squirt bottles, and pool! Later AG got reenergized by a "movie" (aka smoothie) and we went to a pet store to see lots of neat animals.

Our Little Kipper

Last night AG finished up her "Kipper" swimming lessons. She's had fun learning to kick, blow bubbles, and especially climb out and jump into the pool.

The Accessory Sharing Begins...

AG decided to see how her favorite hat looks on LL.

Water Fun!

"Sippy cup or drippy cup?"


LL has been discovering that water has more uses than just during bathtime...yesterday she took her first dip in the little pool in our yard with her Daddy and AG. AG, still in her first session of swim lessons, encouraged her to "Splash!" LL's other new water activity is....drinking from a cup! Or more like learning to make water come out of a cup at this point...but I'm sure some drinking will occur by accident sometime. All that spillage on the tummy after a meal washes off the wayward veggies nicely, though!

AG holds LL's hand through most of her first ride in the new car seat...just one of her big-sisterly duties!

Catching the Wave...

Well, we're officially in the blog game now! After starting one months ago, leaving it totally alone til today, deciding to scratch it and start afresh...here we go! I hope this will serve as a way for many of our family and friends far away to keep up with what's going on, especially with the girls (AG and LL). Of course it won't replace phone calls, email, letters (Yes, some of us are still putting pen to paper! At least occasionally...) and best of all actual visits face to face, but (you already knew that, didn't you?) maybe it will offer a chance for you to check in and see a new picture or read about one of our daily experiences that would have otherwise gone unshared.

In a nutshell (because it's getting late!) we are enjoying life with our two little ones...and oh how the weeks are flying by! AG turned 2 in April and has entered into a whole new realm of independence, which keeps us on our toes! Her favorite phrases now are "I do it" and "Nope, don't want to." Figuring out how to respond to that one in any number of circumstances is a work in progress! (Suggestions are welcomed!) LL is now 7 months and is enjoying the view from her new carseat (see picture), exersaucer, double jog stroller seat, and pretty much anywhere she can sit up and grab anything within reach. Her menu is expanding every few days, with the latest addition being yogurt (AG is having to take sharing to a whole new level!). AG stands by with "napkins" ready to "tean up" her baby sister should Mommy miss her mouth, which of course almost never happens ;)! As you can see from the picture of LL's first ride in her new seat, AG is there to lend a hand in many ways, and thankfully, so far LL is all for it.