Tuesday's Trek

Ok, so we didn't really go on a trek today but when you're carting around a toddler and a newborn it sometimes feels like it!  After Emmie's nap today I decided she needed something fun to do so we headed to the park for a bit.  She had a great time and we really enjoyed the beautiful weather (it was right at 80 degrees at 3 in the afternoon!) and Ellie enjoyed her outdoor nap!

 

Just sittin' around...

Sunday Style Section

 The first two pictures were taken on the same day...apparently NOBODY wanted to get their picture taken!

Emmie looked so cute in this dress with the little yellow bow in her hair.  I wish she hadn't been crying!

She wasn't super thrilled with this picture but at least she's not too mad!  I love the polka dots on her onesie...I do love polka dots (and it has ruffles too...even better!).

I love this picture.  I think the red bow looks so pretty on her.  Perhaps red will be one of her colors!

Emmie wore her Easter dress to church this morning and was very cooperative about getting her picture taken.  I think she must have had a grand time in the nursery today because she was all smiles when she got home.  Also, when Paul picked her up they told him that she was such a joy to have in the nursery...it made this mama's heart happy to hear that and made me feel like she must have played nicely with the other children (and perhaps even shared her toys or at least not taken away too may toys from the other kids?) which at this age is sometimes quite a feat!

I love this onesie that Christa did for Ellie.  The bow fell off when I dried it so I need to reattatch it but just haven't gotten around to that yet!

And can you guess the most stylish thing seen at our house this week?

Nope, not Paul in his undershirt and gym shorts (haha)!  It's an Ellie smile!  I've been trying so hard to catch a smile on camera but she gets sidetracked by the whole camera thing and the flash.  I love making her smile and she has the BIGGEST grin...it's great!

Saturday morning fun

This morning we met our friends Casey and Kerri and their daughter Ivy (who's 2 1/2 and absolutely hilarious...case in point: after the prayer, Ivy said "hallalujah!") for breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  We had a great breakfast with great company and it was so nice for the girls to be able to entertain each other.  AND Ellie slept through breakfast and it was so nice to be able to eat a meal without juggling a newborn, even though it wasn't really my preferred nap time for her.  I feel so blessed that we have such great friends, especially ones who are going through the same parenting experiences we are (even better is that they are going through everything about a year ahead of us so they can give us pointers!). 
After breakfast Paul and I took Emmie and Ellie to the Children's Garden over at Clemson Extension.  It was a beautiful morning with a nice breeze and Emmie had a great time playing and it was nice to be able to spend time together as a family with no computer, TV, or ringing phones!

This picture cracks me up!

A Special Visit

On Tuesday Paul's mom brought his grandmother for a visit so that she could meet Ellie (by the way, Ellie's middle name, Rachel, is Paul's mom's and his grandmother's first name).  They stayed at a hotel near our house so Tuesday afternoon after Emmie woke up from her nap we headed over to visit.  The hotel had an indoor pool so Emmie got to go swimming!  We visited for a bit and played in the pool and then went to Cracker Barrel for dinner.  On Wednesday morning I dropped Ellie off at the hotel while Emmie and I went to her NEW My Gym class (Emmie moved up to the next class this week.  She moved up a few months early but did GREAT!)  It was really nice for me to be able to spend some time one on one with Emmie and I know Gin-g and Ms. Rachel were glad to get to spend some more time with sweet Ellie.  We were so glad that Mammy was able to meet Ellie and spend time with the girls and of course they also enjoyed seeing their GG!

The three Rachels!

Laundry

Ellie helped me with the laundry on Monday.  She thinks laundry is quite fun!

Playdate

Ivy and Kerri came over today to play and the girls had the BEST time!  They quickly decided they wanted to play outside in the pool and it was the PERFECT day to play outside.  It was so nice and cool this morning and we all enjoyed being outside when it wasn't sweltering and there was NO humidity!  The girls played in the pool for awhile and then went and played in the dirt.  I love to watch Emmie interacting with other kids and she and Ivy were a hoot!  They're at the age where they're really starting to get creative and imaginitve and they were hilarious!

Ivy smeared dirt on her face and said it was her beard and then used the spoon to "shave" her beard (see below).

These girls were dirty little piggys by the time all was said and done but they had a great time and Kerri and I enjoyed having time to catch up and chat!

Monkey Joes

Last week we went to Monkey Joes with Christina and Jackson.  Monkey Joes has all kinds of bounce houses.  Jackson and Emmie had a great time although I'm pretty sure they both liked the arcade the best!

Emmie LOVED the slide.  There were two slides side by side and she thought it was great that she and I could go down the slides at the same time.  Each time we got to the top of the slide she would inform me which slide was Mama's and which slide was Emmie's.

Playing with Jackson...all the action shots are kind of blurry.

Sunday Style Section

A Date with Daddy

Paul got home early from work today so after dinner he took Emmie on a "date" to Marble Slab!  I love when they get to have father-daughter time especially since there are many weeks that Emmie only sees Paul on the weekends. 
I remember how excited I would get when I was little and I would get to go somewhere with just my dad.  I can distinctly remember going with my dad to sporting events and I would feel like the luckiest little girl in the world that he'd "picked" me to go with him.  I remember that it made me feel so special and I want to make sure that Emmie and Ellie get to experience that.

Getting ready to go...the silver sequeined shoes didn't fit right so she wore her sandels but she insisted on taking the silver shoes with her anyway.

Emmie and Daddy headed out!

Yummm!

Headed home...you can see by the evidence on her shirt that she enjoyed her treat!

 

20 months!

I am 20 months old (can you believe it)!

• I wear 18-24 month shorts and pants, 2t-3t shirts, 18-24 month and 2t dresses and about a size 6 shoe.
• I wear a size 4 or size 5 diaper.
• I pretty much have all my teeth...I'm still getting one or two on the left side of my mouth and so I chew on my finger a lot!
• This month I finally started really using my fork and spoon much to Mommy's relief!

• I have a very sweet nature and love to take care of other children.
• This month I went to Monkey Joes (they have lots of bounce houses) with Jackson (or Jacks as I refer to him)...pictures will be up later this week.
• I love to sing.  Two of my new favorite songs are "Twinkle Twinkle" and "ABCs".  When I sing "ABCs" I always get to "D" and sometimes I will get to "G"!
• I love to help cook.  I have a little step stool in the kitchen so that I can safely reach the counter.
• One of my new favorite veggies is a nice green pepper.
• This month was all about adjusting to my new sister and I finally seem to have adjusted.  It was a hard road at times but I love her very much and I talk about her ALL the time!  My mommy is so proud of the wonderful big sister I am!

• This month Gran came and stayed with us for a week and then GG came and stayed with us for 5 days.

• This month I went to Greenville for a week and got to spend one day all by myself with Gran and we had lots of fun...I enjoyed being the center of the world again!
• While we were in Greenville I got to go to River Falls park, Kids Planet park, the Greenville Zoo and I got my hair cut.

• I think my Uncle Giant is great and I really enjoyed getting to eat breakfast with him every morning while we were in Greenville.  One day he wasn't at breakfast with me and I pointed to his place and said "Giant?".

• GG and Papa Coach came to visit on a Saturday.

• This month I ate homemade Cookies and Cream ice cream and it was sooo good.

• I still like to be the leader at My Gym and sit in the middle of the circle during circle time.
• I love my baby dolls and I take good care of them.
• I've gotten very good at sharing this month and I'm understanding more and more what it means to share.  My mommy is very proud of me!

• I like to help buckle my car seat.  Sometimes while I'm buckling up I say "safe".  Mommy says we wear our seatbelts whenever we're in the car so we stay safe.
• I LOVE to play in the pool.

• I played dress up for the first time with Carrington and we had lots of fun!

• I spend quite a bit of time each day reading my books.

• I'm kind of obsessed with the princess apron my Uncle Blake got for me.

This is me one year ago at 8 months old! (Click the link to go to the 8 month post and see how much I've changed!)