Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Moving on up

So, a week or so ago, we were notified that Hulse and Livi were being promoted at daycare from "transition nursery" to "Toddler 1." Jennifer is taking it pretty well.

The new class means that there are no more cribs. They sleep on a mat in the floor. We'd love to see the first attempt at a nap where they just try to get them to lay down on the floor, outside of a cage.

Anyway, the other thing that we found out was that Toddler 1 also comes with a school supply list. They don't promote until the middle of August, but Jennifer has been so excited about the school supplies that we had to make a trip to Walmart . . . with a camera.



Monday, July 26, 2010

A Year and a Half Already?

From July 2010

I'm pretty sure I just got done putting up your birthday post, so how can you already be halfway to 2? You are such big kids now I can't even really call you babies anymore. You're running, talking, and playing just like big kids. We've had a really great summer swimming, traveling, relaxing, and growing by leaps and bounds. You had your shots in June and weighed within an ounce of one another at 25 pounds each.

Hulse, you have really lost some of your baby look and rolls so I think your sister caught up with you in the weight department a little. You also measured at the same height although your dad and I think Hulse is a little bit taller.

From July 2010


Your vocabularies have really taken off. Words that you can say:
  1. momma
  2. daddy
  3. pappaw
  4. gigi
  5. nana (works for nana and banana, but we'll only count it once)
  6. NO!
  7. hi/hey
  8. bye-bye
  9. go (we promise she once said "where did it go?" or atleast that's what it sounded like.)
  10. Elmo (melmo)
  11. Abby (babby)
  12. boat (usually repeated as "boat boat")
  13. eat
  14. grape (gape)
  15. cheese (the dairy product and instantly upon seeing a camera)
  16. diaper
  17. shoe
  18. hat (at)
  19. papi (paci/pacifier)
  20. duck
  21. fish (pish)
  22. turtle
  23. mo-mo (mower)
  24. choo-choo
  25. cookie (as in food and the monster)
  26. baby
  27. ball
  28. dog (whoo-whoo, doggie)
  29. kitty
  30. bird
  31. book
  32. car
  33. bubble
  34. light (usually without the L)
  35. poo-poo
  36. tee-tee
  37. airplane
  38. tractor (tactor)
  39. nose
  40. ear
  41. teeth
  42. eye (they can identify many others, but they don't say them)
You're both still great eaters and love pasta with red sauce, meatballs, and FRUIT! Olivia you especially like blueberries and can put away a ton if we let you!


From July 2010

From July 2010

From July 2010

From July 2010

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Our Staycation

This year we decided to do a low-key trip to Hot Springs with our friends and their little boy. J is about 3 weeks older than Hulse and Olivia, so they really are at the same stages and can play together. I took off all week and had some mom-only time, and then we left Thursday morning.

We rented a condo on Lake Hamilton, and it was really nice. We had a quick BBQ lunch and then headed to the grocery store for some essentials. The babies took afternoon naps and then we headed down to the pool. I'm so glad all the babies love water, and they had a good time "swimming" around. We worked up quite an appetite and went to Rod's that night for some pizza. It was sooo good and the kids loved watching the train go around the restaurant.


Friday we slept in and woke up to a little bit of a rainy day, but we decided to go downtown and walk around for a while. We browsed several cute shops and found a really cute toy store. The kids got some new puzzles, balls, and a new book.

After lunch and nap time the weather looked a little better so we decided to load the kids up and try our luck at Magic Springs. The water park part of Magic Springs has a couple of kiddie areas that we tried out. Our friend J loved it, but our kiddos weren't sold on it. I think the water was too cold (our baby kryptonite) for them, and it was kind of overload for them.

We got dry, grabbed some dinner and went over to the attraction side of the park. Hulse and Olivia got to ride their first official rides. They did the train, Ferris wheel, carousel, and seemed to really like them all. We walked around the park some more and closed it down. Not too bad for our first theme park experience. Disney here we come! On the way home we had to stop for ice cream and found this local place that makes their own, it was AWESOME!



Friday and Saturday folks start streaming into Hot Springs, so traffic and trying to eat somewhere was crazy. More sleeping in on Saturday morning, and then we decided to try out the Alligator Farm. The place has been in HS since 1902 and was really the first "attraction" in the area other than the bath houses.

They have a petting zoo with goats, deer, and a couple of donkeys. Hulse and J liked the goats and fed them if they weren't being too aggressive. Olivia, on the other hand, is going through a phase where she's not too sure about dogs, cats, etc, and she was not having any thing to do with the animals. She did seem to like them if they were on the other side of the fence!



They have an indoor area where the animals live in winter and you can touch a baby alligator. Outside are the alligator pens and some other animals. We tried to stick around for the alligators to have lunch, but the kids were hot, hungry, and tired by that time so we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant near the condo, Jose's. It was so delicious. They had the best homemade punch and avocado dip. We hit the pool again that afternoon, and then had dinner at Purple Cow.

On our way out of town on Sunday morning we went to Garven Woodland Gardens. I've never been, and it was a really cool place. Of course, this late in the summer not a ton of stuff is in bloom, but the waterfalls, bridges, and plants were gorgeous. They have a miniature train garden that Hulse thought was great and said "Choo-Choo" all afternoon. I would love to take them back at Christmas for the lights and in the Spring while the tulips and azaleas are in bloom. The bottom fell out just as we were leaving, and we were drenched by the time we got to the car.




All good things must come to an end, so we headed home, stopping for lunch at Browns' in Benton.

We had a fantastic, relaxing , fun time with our kids and friends. It was nice to be able to get away and be home in an hour at the same time!

(There are many more pictures on Jenn's Facebook.)

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Firecracker Fourth

I really love the 4th of July. I can remember growing up we would spend all day at the pool, and they would have races, games, a carnival, and a fireworks show at night! Nothing fancy, just an all American summer day. With the 4th falling on a Sunday this year, we did most of our celebrating on Saturday. We grilled out with my parents and grandfather and had some fantastic burgers and homemade ice cream.

What a difference a year makes with the kids. Last year they were only 6 months old, but this year they are running around the yard in and out of the pool! They had a blast in the water. We went home, got the kids in their jammies and then took them to the Maumelle fireworks show.

The 4th in Maumelle is a big deal, and they have a parade, a little festival, and of course fireworks. We got a prime viewing spot (total luck) and were right under the action. The kids seemed to love it and were totally mesmerized. Hulse and Liv both were pointing and saying boom and woah. They weren't scared, and I think they thought it was pretty cool.

Sunday we slept in (Yeah for 10:30 church service), got dressed in our red, white, and blue, and went to a great God and Country service at church. One of my favorite things we do every year is the song that features the branches of the military. I just love seeing the legacy of men and women who fought for our freedom. I'm a sappy patrotic person, and I really do get a lump in my throat when we sing the Star Spangled Banner. It always makes me thank God for the freedom I have in this country and the liberation I have in Him from sin. Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend.